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Most Impactful Golfers this Decade: Who Joins Tiger Woods?

By West Valentine

FARMINGDALE, NEW YORK - MAY 17: Tiger Woods of the United States and Brooks Koepka of the United States walk along the course during the second round of the 2019 PGA Championship at the Bethpage Black course on May 17, 2019 in Farmingdale, New York. (Photo by Stuart Franklin/Getty Images)
FARMINGDALE, NEW YORK - MAY 17: Tiger Woods of the United States and Brooks Koepka of the United States walk along the course during the second round of the 2019 PGA Championship at the Bethpage Black course on May 17, 2019 in Farmingdale, New York. (Photo by Stuart Franklin/Getty Images) /
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Tiger Woods PGA TOUR record 82 wins
INZAI, JAPAN – OCTOBER 28: A monitor displays Tiger Woods of the United States achieved the 82nd carrier victory in the PGA Tour tying Sam Snead after the final round of the Zozo Championship at Accordia Golf Narashino Country Club on October 28, 2019 in Inzai, Chiba, Japan. (Photo by Chung Sung-Jun/Getty Images) /

Tiger Woods

The past decade was not Tiger’s best – on or off the golf course. But it is the one that will define his entire career in my opinion.

In early 2010, a chastened, broken and defeated Tiger Woods took to television to apologize for his marital failings and prescription drug abuse. It followed an announcement at the end of 2009 that the greatest golfer in the world was taking an indefinite leave from the game he redefined.

The next eight seasons were a series of events that would’ve ended most careers. He fired his swing coach, he fired his caddy, he underwent multiple surgeries, he sat out more than an entire year on Tour. He changed his swing, his putting, his equipment, and his golf ball.

After two seasons without a top-three finish, Tiger rebounded briefly. From March of 2012 to August of 2013, he looked like he was all the way back, winning eight times on tour

Then he fell off the cliff. From 2014-2017 – four full PGA seasons – he had zero wins and only one Top 10 finish.

Going into the 2018 PGA Tour season, any expectation that Tiger could win – much less compete – on Tour had all but vanished. His body had seemed to quit on him. No one, even his closest friends, knew if he was mentally in a place to compete, either.

During this time, golf TV viewership took a nosedive. The sport was searching for new stars and a future without a competitive Tiger. Guys like Bubba, Brooks, Jordan, and Rory became the next big things. And they delivered amazing moments – but none of them could replace Tiger’s draw with audiences.

Then the 2018 Tour Championship at Eastlake happened. As much as any Major, his victory there energized the golfing world. It gave us all a tantalizing glimpse of what could be.

Then came Augusta in 2019.

His win at the 2019 Masters immediately vaulted his already celestial legend into a cosmos unvisited by any other golfer. Hogan had his comeback at Merion, Nicklaus had the 1986 Masters win, but Tiger’s victory was something altogether different. It was truly a, “I can’t believe what I’m seeing” moment in American sports history.

On the eve of the 2000s decade closing, Tiger Woods was the greatest golfer on the planet and perhaps the most famous athlete. He spent the better part of the next decade in the wilderness. In 2018, he reemerged and ascended to even greater heights. It’s simply unbelievable. With his game back to pre-2010 sharpness, Tiger ranks as one of the greatest comeback stories in sports history.

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