Simply the Best.

About eight months ago, I was at the beach. The sun was hot, the water was warm and I was sitting inside watching one of the greatest athletes ever, do what he does best. It was a Sunday and Tiger Woods was on TV. Normally I would choose a day at the beach over a televised golf tournament, but something about this tournament intrigued me. On what was thought to be the final day of the US Open, Tiger Woods entered the 18th hole one stroke behind a 45-year-old veteran named Rocco Mediate. Rocco was an average golfer at best. Little did he know this hole would be the defining moment of his entire golfing career. After Rocco parred the 18th, Tiger followed up with a 12-foot birdie putt to send the two men into an 18-hole playoff the very next day.

Monday came, the sun was still out, and I was still inside. Glued to my TV, I watched as Rocco and Tiger battled it out for hours on a sunny California golf course. But it wasn’t so much a battle between the two men as it was a battle between Tiger and himself. The 32-year-old pro athlete was dealing with an excruciatingly painful left knee that desperately needed surgery. He was barely able to stand-up. With every follow-through, pain sliced across Tiger’s face, and rolled down his lower body. His whole physique would compress towards the turf as his shot soared through the air. It was painful to watch, and it got worse as the day went on. Again, Tiger’s birdie and Rocco’s par left the two tied at the end of an 18-hole playoff, forcing sudden death. Tiger’s mental toughness allowed him to remain focused on winning, as he let everything else fall by the wayside, including Rocco. After 91 holes of mastery, Tiger won the tournament, hoisted the trophy and bid the game of golf a temporary adieu.

Today I was at work. Gus Johnson was calling a thriller between Michigan State and Louisville, while Blake Griffin was gearing up against Ty Lawson and the Tar Heels, and I was watching one of the greatest athletes ever, do what he does best. Today wasn’t the US Open. But to an average golf fan it was something special. It was the Arnold Palmer Invitational, with the legend himself in attendance. Now I say average golf fan because in the absence of Tiger, I’ve seen maybe 3 holes of golf all season. The average golf fan watches to see Tiger, and that’s about it. And today, with Tiger 5 strokes behind the leader, you were either a skeptic hoping for a repeat miracle, or a pessimist ready to change the channel. Not many fans were willing to re-open their hearts to a phenomenon who left us wanting more. After all, the whimsical nature in which golf fans were magically won back over into the sport was briskly swept away after a storybook ending. We hibernated our golf fandom and we weren’t ready to come out for spring in the event Tiger would fall short of our monumental expectations. We needed to be re-caught up in the suspense, and Tiger’s determination would be the bait.

His back-nine rally today led him and his fans to a familiar place, the 18th hole in need of a birdie putt, but this time, to win. In complete Tiger fashion, all eyes were now glued to the TV as the 14-major champion surveyed the 15-foot uphill putt. And in complete Tiger fashion, the ball found the bottom of the cup. Game over. No playoffs. No sudden death. Hand him the trophy and hand over our hearts because for just the second time in eight months, Tiger’s focus and skill have single-handedly revived the game of golf and our belief in the strength of the human spirit. Now fans can come out of hibernation and continue to believe in the greatest their ever was, ever is, and ever will be.