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VetFamily: Tiger
Woods 
Living Out His Army Ranger Father's Legacy
By
Roy Asfar,
Special to Veterans Advantage
A double stress fracture
and torn ACL? No problem. Tiger Woods no doubt
has already begun to focus thoughts on a comeback
just days after pulling off his dramatic U.S.
Open Golf victory. You see, comebacks
actually are not totally new to Tiger: The last
time he had to take an extended leave of absence
from the sport, it was just two years ago as
he mourned the passing of his Army
Ranger father.
Golf
superstar Tiger Woods hugs his father,
Earl, during an announcement in New
York that Tiger will be an international
spokesperson for American Express,
in this May 19, 1997 photo.
AP/Richard Drew |
When Earl Woods, the man
credited with raising the world’s #1 golfer,
died in May of 2006, he capped a lifelong journey
for one of sports' most storied father-son relationships.
It also prompted an unscheduled break of nine
weeks in Tiger's 2006 golf season. The timing
of the comeback was also especially poignant,
as Tiger chose his return match for the 2006
U.S. Open at New York's Winged Foot Golf Club,
a tournament which ironically ended on Father's
Day.
Flash forward two years,
again on Father’s
Day weekend, as Tiger limped, hobbled and powered
his way to a 19-hole playoff victory over Rocco
Mediate.
Iit seemed like Earl
Woods was back this weekend, watching over his
son. During the broadcast of Monday’s playoff
round, Nike ran an ad that had Earl Woods’s
voice running over images of his son: “I’d
say, ‘Tiger,
I promise you that you’ll never meet another
person as mentally tough as you in your entire
life.’ And he hasn’t. And he never
will.”
Nobody knew at the time
just how meaningful those words would be. Two
days later, Tiger came forward with more details
on the true extent of his injuries, much worse
than anyone expected. Much worse, as Tiger attributes,
because of intense training to comeback from
knee surgery earlier this season. "While
I am obviously disappointed to have to miss the
remainder of the season, I have to do the right
thing for my long-term health and look forward
to returning to competitive golf when my doctors
agree that my knee is sufficiently healthy," said
Woods in a prepared statement on his Web site. "My
doctors assure me with the proper rehabilitation
and training, the knee will be strong and there
will be no long-term effects."
"To have a will as strong as that, I take my hat off to him," said
Jack Nicklaus, the man who Tiger Woods is chasing as the all-time leader in
major golf tournament victories. The attention surrounding the race for #1
has become so intense, that Nicklaus actually had to issue a statement responding
to Woods’s injury because the press inundated him with requests for comment.
"In light of this week's revelation about Tiger's health, it makes his
performance in the U.S. Open that much more phenomenal," Nicklaus said. "I
have always said that the U.S. Open is the most difficult and complete examination
of a golfer and for him to persevere with a damaged knee and stress fracture
is a testament not only to his ability, but his tremendously high level of
competitiveness."
A Job to Do
Earl Dennison Woods was born March 5, 1932, in
Manhattan, Kansas. He attended Kansas State University
on a baseball scholarship at a time when schools
never held such privileges for minorities. He
earned a degree in sociology in 1953, joined
the army in 1954 and stayed 20 years, where he
attained the rank of lieutenant colonel in the
Green Berets. It seems Earl's military background
was a great foundation for teaching Tiger the
elements of mental toughness.
Tiger Woods
said his father Earl was his "best
friend and greatest role model"
Photo:
Getty Images |
"Most people cannot or will not discuss their combat experiences," Earl
Woods once told Golf Digest Magazine. "It's too traumatic and painful
for them. I saw all the things you see in war -- dead bodies, brains all over
the place, friends dying -- and I can talk about it. I had a mind-set that
this was war, and that it doesn't make a lot of sense, but I had a job to do.
I didn't overanalyze it. I loved myself too much to let it take something away
from me."
Was this advice also passed
onto his son? Seems like it.
A Loving Father until his passing in 2006, and perhaps a lesson for
2008?
But as much as this may surprise many, Tiger
is indeed human. Yes, he gets injured, and yes,
he has a heart, too. At a press conference ahead
of the US Open, Tiger revealed his most heartfelt
side, when identifying his father's greatest
gift to him.
"Love," Woods said. "That's basically it. The love that we shared
for one another and the respect that we had for one another was something that's
pretty special."
On the eve of his 2006
comeback, Tiger was prophetic about how 2008
will unfold for him. He was asked at the time
about chances to regain the dominance that he
held while his father was alive -- will Tiger
find a place from which to draw strength without
Earl Woods?
"You're going to go through periods where it's just tough," he said. "It
tests every bit of you. But if you've got a heart, you're going to be all right.
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