Tiger Woods: A tumultuous 10 years from scandal to redemption

The reports trickled in, vague and confused at first. There had been some sort of car crash. Tiger Woods was involved. He might be injured.

Fears at first for the health of one of sport’s biggest stars, maybe the biggest. Then news of a collision with a fire hydrant and a tree yards from Woods’ Florida home, a golf club, a smashed car window, rumors of a row with wife Elin. The trickle became a torrent, as intrigue, gossip and speculation spread like wildfire around the world.

That infamous night 10 years ago this week changed everything. For golf, for sport, for Woods’ legend and most of all for Woods’ family.

He was, after all, the man who had taken golf into a new realm. His skill, his power, his dedication to fitness, his work ethic and strong values, his mental strength, and his fortitude in blazing a trail as a black man in a white sport, had turned him into a global superstar.

He’d won 14 major golf titles in 11 years and was just four behind the record of the great Jack Nicklaus. And though slowed by knee surgery after his remarkable 2008 US Open title win, Woods seemed destined to roar right past his countryman. Corporate America couldn’t get enough.

But there would be price for that success and Woods was about to pay big time.

READ: Tiger Woods on fame: ‘I don’t like it, never have.’

Tiger Woods crashed his SUV into a fire hydrant and a tree near his Florida home on November 27 2009.

Sadness

Ironically, it was the fire hydrant which ignited the smouldering tabloid tales into an full-blown inferno. Before, Woods’ narrative had looked clear. After, nothing was clear any more.

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First, there was the statement admitting his “transgressions” and saying he had “let my family down.”

A number of sponsors such as Gillette, Accenture and AT&T cut ties with Woods and he announced an “indefinite” break from golf.

Then there was the stay at a Mississippi addiction clinic, and the embarrassment of a mea culpa press conference at the PGA Tour headquarters in Florida.

“I was unfaithful. I had affairs. I cheated,” he told a select group of friends and family – his mother Kultida was sitting in the front row – as well as the world’s media.

Woods admitted his actions were “not acceptable,” and that he had “stopped living by the core values” he was taught by his parents.”I knew my actions were wrong, but I convinced myself that normal rules didn’t apply,” he said.

There was the return to golf at the Masters, where he earned a stern rebuke from Augusta National chairman Billy Payne, who used a press conference to say Woods “disappointed all of us.”

Despite attempts to patch up his marriage, divorce from Elin followed later that year. There was the plummeting form, the swing tinkering, coach and caddie changes, a climb back to world No.1 in 2013, before serious short game yips.

Tiger Woods stands with his children Sam(L) and Charlie after the Quicken Loans National at Congressional Country Club in Bethesda, Maryland on on June 26, 2016. / AFP / ANDREW CABALLERO-REYNOLDS (Photo credit should read ANDREW CABALLERO-REYNOLDS/AFP via Getty Images)

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There was also a growing list of injuries, leading to four back operations including spinal fusion surgery, the “dark times” where the pain was so bad he couldn’t even get out of bed, or play with his kids, and fears for his future quality of life let alone his top-level golf career.

There were the aborted comebacks, the line leaked from a Masters Champions Dinner where Woods admitted his career was “done,” the world ranking plunging outside the top 1,100, the arrest on a DUI charge and an addiction to painkillers used to treat his back.

A police mugshot showing a haggard and puffy-looking Woods provided graphic evidence of just how bad things had got. This wasn’t how the story was supposed to end.

Tiger Woods' police mugshot after he was arrested in May 2017.

Gripped

But as Woods’ rehabilitation from surgery continued, the reports trickled in. And on social media this time. Talk of Woods practising again, videos of him chipping, then hitting full shots.

Early into his comeback in 2018 the signs were promising. This one looked more sustainable. There was a groundswell, too, that the new Woods was a more open, more approachable figure than the aloof iceman at the height of his powers. The water under the bridge seemed to have eased the tension. A burgeoning friendship with long-time fierce rival Phil Mickelson was testament.

When Woods briefly took the lead in the British Open at Carnoustie, the crowd’s excitement made the Scottish air fizz with electricity.

Woods was greeted on the final green by his kids Sam and Charlie, who were finally getting a taste of their doting dad near the height of his powers, rather than just as a “YouTube golfer,” as he put it.

The following month Woods was the main challenger to Brooks Koepka, finishing second in the US PGA Championship. The scenes of a stampeding mass following Woods as he strode to victory in the season-ending Tour Championship in Atlanta were like a movie clip from his heyday.

It was his first win in five years and a remarkable achievement given his medical history. Questions quickly followed as to whether Woods could win another major. Even so, catching Nicklaus still seemed a stretch.

And then came the Masters this year. Augusta has always brought the best out of Woods, ever since he announced himself on the world stage with a first major title there in 1997. With Woods in contention, the roars reverberating around the Georgia pines on Sunday afternoon were loaded with extra expectation.

The world of sport was gripped. He couldn’t, could he?

Tiger Woods clinched his fifth Masters and 15th major title with victory at Augusta in April.

The former world No. 1 had not won the Masters since 2005, and it was his first major win since 2008.

A month after winning the Masters, Woods received the nation's highest civilian honor, the Presidential Medal of Freedom, from President Donald Trump.

Woods won the season-ending Tour Championship in September 2018. It was his first title in five years following a succession of back injuries.

Signs that Woods was back to his best were obvious at August's PGA Championship, where he finished runner-up to Brooks Koepka. It followed an impressive showing at July's British Open, where he briefly topped the leaderboard.

Woods made an impressive return to competitive golf in 2018 after multiple back surgeries in recent years. He played his first Masters in three years in April 2018.

The four-time champion had back fusion surgery -- his fourth procedure -- in April 2017 and returned to the game pain-free in December. He finished tied 32nd at Augusta.

Woods was touted as one of the favorites after impressing in his early-season events. He also set tongues wagging by playing a practice round with old rival Phil Mickelson, right.

Woods finished tied second at the Valspar Championship in March 2018 and followed it up with a tie for fifth at the Arnold Palmer Invitational at Bay Hill. The hype needle moved into overdrive.

Woods set out on his legendary path by becoming the youngest winner of the Masters -- at 21 -- with a record 12-shot win in 1997.

One of his most remarkable feats was winning his first US Open by an unprecedented 15 shots at Pebble Beach, California, in 2000, sparking a streak never seen before or since.

Woods' victory in the 2001 Masters meant he held all four of golf's major titles at the same time, dubbed the "Tiger Slam."

Woods' win rate, his dedication to fitness training and his desire to succeed were changing golf. Prize money rocketed because of Woods. Off the course, he married girlfriend Elin Nordegren in 2004.

Woods showed rare emotion when he broke down in tears on the shoulder of caddie Steve Williams following his win in the 2006 British Open at Hoylake, months after his father and mentor Earl passed away.

Despite being visibly hampered and in pain from a knee injury, Woods won the US Open in breathtaking fashion at Torrey Pines, California, in 2008. It was his 14th major title to leave him only four behind the record of Jack Nicklaus. He was later diagnosed with knee ligament damage and two fractures of his left tibia. He missed the rest of the season after surgery. It is still his last major title.

In December 2009, Woods crashed his car into a fire hydrant outside his home. As the big picture emerged it was discovered Woods had been conducting a series of extra martial affairs. He took three months away from the game to sort out his private life.

In February 2010 Woods addressed the world's media to explain and apologise for his actions. His infidelity led to divorce and was the beginning of a downhill slide in Woods' playing career. By October he lost the world No. 1 ranking, a position he had held for 281 consecutive weeks

Back in the fold, Woods earned his first win in two years at the Chevron World Challenge in December 2011, a charity tournament he hosts that does not count on the PGA Tour money list.

Woods was back in the winner's circle in 2013, lifting five titles, including the Arnold Palmer Invitational, to get back to the top of the rankings.

In March 2013, Woods and Lindsey Vonn announced they were dating on Facebook. In January that year, the champion skier had finalized her divorce from Thomas Vonn, after initializing proceedings in 2011. In May 2015, Woods and Vonn announced their breakup, with the golfer claiming he "hadn't slept" in the days following.

Later in 2013 there were signs all was not well as Woods was seen to be in pain as he picked the ball out of the hole at the Barclays tournament in August. He missed the Masters the following April for the first time since 1994 to undergo back surgery.

Woods pulled out of the Farmers Insurance Open in February 2015, and struggled with injury and form for the rest of the season.

Woods cut a dejected figure at that year's US Open as he struggled with his game and carded rounds of 80 and 76 to miss the cut.

In August 2015 Woods made his last appearance for 15 months to undergo follow-up back surgeries. At one stage during his rehabilitation, Woods spoke of there being "no light at the end of the tunnel" -- and with one eye on his fading career, he suggested "everything beyond this will be gravy."

Woods made a much-anticipated return to golf in December 2016, showing signs of promise with the highest number of birdies in the field -- 24 -- but he also made a number of costly errors to finish third from last in the 18-man event.

He missed the cut in his first event of 2017 in the US and pulled out after the first round of the Dubai Desert Classic in February, citing back spasms. He underwent a fourth back prodecure in April.

The golf legend was arrested Monday, May 29, on suspicion of driving under the influence. He was booked into a local jail in Florida and released a few hours later. He said in a statement he had "an unexpected reaction to prescribed medications."

In August Woods entered a first-offender program and pleaded guilty to reckless driving on October 28. He will avoid jail unless he commits major violations of his probation.

Woods returned to golf after 301 days at the Hero World Challenge in the Bahamas on November 30 2017. He carded a three-under first-round 69 and appeared pain-free and hungry to resume his career.

Tiger Woods: From highs to lows

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As his rivals’ hopes sunk, many via the water on the short 12th, Woods rose to the top and the unthinkable become reality. At 43, Woods clinched a fifth Masters green jacket and a 15th major title, his first for 11 years. The comeback was complete, and the career obituaries were quickly fashioned into tales of epic redemption.

“To have my kids there, it’s come full circle,” said Woods, who embraced his mother, Sam and Charlie, and girlfriend Erica Herman after walking off the final green. His father and mentor Earl died in 2006. “My dad was there in 1997 and now I’m the dad with two kids there.”

Nicklaus said Woods’ win had him “shaking in his boots” as his major record looked vulnerable again.

INZAI, JAPAN - OCTOBER 21: Tiger Woods of the USA laughs and smiles during The Challenge: Japan Skins at Accordia Golf Narashino Country Club on October 21, 2019 in Inzai, Chiba, Japan. (Photo by Richard Heathcote/Getty Images)

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NBA star Steph Curry called it “the greatest comeback story in sports,” while tennis legend Serena Williams said she “was in tears” and said it was “greatness like no other.” Former US President Barack Obama joined in the praise, while President Donald Trump awarded Woods the Presidential Medal of Freedom at the White House.

However, all the talk of a new glorious age of Woods seemed premature when he missed the cut in his next outing at the US PGA.

The euphoria had worn off and Woods admitted the Masters had taken a physical and mental toll.

At the Open at Royal Portrush in July he cut a dejected figure, confiding in reporters his catalogue of injuries meant he was going to have his good weeks and bad weeks

“It’s just the way it’s going to be,” he sniffed.

At the end of the summer he took time off for further knee surgery, but in vintage Woods fashion, he hit back with victory in Japan to equal Sam Snead’s record of 82 PGA Tour victories.

Reflecting on his fame recently, Woods told CNN: “I don’t like it. I never have liked it.

“There are friends of mine who are multi billionaires, very successful. They have awesome planes and mega yachts and unbelievable homes and make billions of dollars, and no one has a single clue when they’re walking down the street.”

The decade has taken Woods to rock bottom and back. Whether or not he will surpass Nicklaus’ record remains to be seen, but one thing is for sure – Woods is still he biggest draw in the game.