Tiger Woods

Some events will always be inextricably linked in my mind. Today it's my daughter's birth and Tiger Woods winning his second Masters championship.

It was Sunday April 8, 2001.  The day began with labor pains and an early trip to Carolinas Medical Center in Charlotte, N.C.  My wife had made a similar trip twice before. I had never been invited inside the delivery room. The third time was different. A nurse came outside and invited me to don hospital garb and step inside. I entered armed with my camera. 

As I sat awaiting my daughter's arrival, my mind wandered to the other big events of the day. Tiger Woods was on the verge of winning a second Masters Championship. I couldn't help but wonder how he was doing. Did he win? Could he seal the deal?   My daughter emerged kicking and screaming, healthy and strong. She had the cheeks of an African princess.  She was my princess.  

As I drove home that day, I turned on my car radio to hear the sports scores. Tiger was leading and he eventually won.  Much has happened in the nine years since that Sunday afternoon. My daughter is a fun third grader. My heart jumps each time I talk to her on the phone. 

For his part, Tiger has shown he can close the deal. But he has also shown he is all too human. The world has seen a dark side of  TIger. Now we know Woods the Womanizer. There's nothing pretty about that person. But in a way, he is no different from most of us. He fooled around. He cheated on his wife. He betrayed his family. What separates him from the rest of us is that he is wealthy, talented and, he is Tiger Woods. 

Today, he tries to make a comeback. Today he tries to change the headline of his personal and professional narrative. He tries to help us remember by making us forget. It doesn't matter how this tournament ends. It doesn't matter whether Tiger wins or loses. What matters is that he regains his moral  center, that he realizes that in order for Tiger to be Tiger, his public and private personas can't be at odds. We want him to succeed because a successful Tiger is good for his family, good for the country and, most important, good  for him. If Tiger makes the cut, I'll watch the back nine on Sunday afternoon. Imagine the emotional powder keg if he wins it all.