I've noted my dislike of Tiger in the past. At his peak, he was boorish on the course and (as we now know, and previously might have suspected) worse off the course in many ways. His golfing skills were phenomenal, but in putting them on display, at his best he sucked much of the drama and uncertainty out of a sport about which uncertainty seems to be a central element. Rooting for him always felt to me like rooting for the best-performing and worst-behaved Yankees team of all time. And while I'm softening a little toward Tiger in what I assume is now the late autumn of his career, old habits die hard.
But I want to set all of this aside and become enlightened. I know mine is and always has been very much the minority opinion about Tiger - one look at the Carnoustie thread in this forum is more than enough to prove that. And I understand the many reasons people might find him to be so compelling. But I'm curious as to why *you* personally love him so much and so badly wanted him to win yesterday. Is it his charisma? His transcendence of race? His spells of utter dominance? His ability to come up big in the clutch on demand? His skill set? His flouting of norms? Are you a casual golf fan for whom Tiger made you a fanatic? Are you not a golf fan at all but become one when Tiger is on the prowl? And does your love of Tiger contrast significantly with how you enjoy or dislike other dominant sports figures or teams? Tell me about your Tiger Woods fandom - I'm listening.
But I want to set all of this aside and become enlightened. I know mine is and always has been very much the minority opinion about Tiger - one look at the Carnoustie thread in this forum is more than enough to prove that. And I understand the many reasons people might find him to be so compelling. But I'm curious as to why *you* personally love him so much and so badly wanted him to win yesterday. Is it his charisma? His transcendence of race? His spells of utter dominance? His ability to come up big in the clutch on demand? His skill set? His flouting of norms? Are you a casual golf fan for whom Tiger made you a fanatic? Are you not a golf fan at all but become one when Tiger is on the prowl? And does your love of Tiger contrast significantly with how you enjoy or dislike other dominant sports figures or teams? Tell me about your Tiger Woods fandom - I'm listening.