Redemption
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I watched Tiger Woods complete what may go down in history as the biggest comeback I can ever remember. He hadn't won a Major since his infamous Thanksgiving altercation with his estranged wife.
I felt genuinely conflicted. The "ego" part of me always judged and condemned him for cheating on his wife so often. I thought "he had EVERYTHING and pissed it all away."
Once I pushed my ego aside, I thought, "If I were young, handsome, rich and famous, and if my career forced me to travel away from home all the time, would I have done anything differently (given that women were–literally– throwing themselves at him)?
I've never been in that position, and I think it's high time I quit judging him (and others) and leave it up to God.
After I worked through those thoughts and feelings, I looked at the obstacles he faced that were not self-inflicted.
I knew he had a couple back issues, but I had no idea he worked through this many physical challenges:
December 1994: Surgery on left knee to remove two benign tumors and scar tissue.
Dec. 13, 2002: Surgery on left knee to remove fluid inside and outside the ACL and remove benign cysts from his left knee. Misses the season opener in 2003.
August 2007: Ruptures the ACL in his left knee while running on a golf course after the British Open, but is able to keep playing. Wins five of the last six tournaments he plays, including the PGA Championship for his 13th major.
April 15, 2008: Two days after the Masters, has arthroscopic surgery on his left knee to repair cartilage damage.
May 2008: Advised weeks before the U.S. Open that he has two stress fractures of the left tibia and should rest for six weeks, the first three weeks on crutches.
June 24, 2008: Eight days after winning the U.S. Open, has surgery to repair the ACL in his left knee by using a tendon from his right thigh. Additional cartilage damage is repaired. Misses the rest of the season and does not return until the Match Play Championship at the end of February 2009.
December 2008: Injured his Achilles tendon in his right leg as he was running while preparing to return to golf.
Nov. 27, 2009: Hospitalized overnight with a sore neck and a cut lip that required five stitches when the SUV he was driving ran over a fire hydrant and into a tree.
May 9, 2010: Withdrew from the final round of The Players Championship, citing a bulging disk. He later said it was a neck issue that caused tingling in his right side, and that it first became a problem as he began practicing harder for his return to the Masters a month earlier.
April 10, 2011: Injures his left Achilles tendon hitting from an awkward stance below Eisenhower's Tree on the 17th at Augusta National. Withdraws from the Wells Fargo Championship.
May 12, 2011: Withdraws from The Players Championship after a 42 on the front nine. Diagnosed with an MCL sprain in his left knee and in his left Achilles tendon. He misses the next two months, including two majors, returning at the Bridgestone Invitational.
March 11, 2012: Feels tightness in his left Achilles tendon and withdraws after 11 holes of the final round in the Cadillac Championship at Doral. He wins in his next start at Bay Hill, his first PGA Tour victory since the scandal in his personal life.
Aug. 24, 2012: Moves stiffly during the second round of The Barclays and later says he felt pain in his lower back, which he attributed to a soft mattress in his hotel room.
June 13, 2013: Is seen shaking his left arm during the opening round of the U.S. Open. He later says it's a left elbow strain that he injured while winning The Players Championship a month earlier. He misses two tournaments and returns at the British Open.
Aug. 11, 2013: Said he felt tightness in his back during the final round of the PGA Championship.
Aug. 21, 2013: Two weeks after the PGA Championship, he only chips and putts on the back nine of the pro-am at The Barclays, complaining of a stiff neck and back that he attributed to a soft bed in the hotel. By Sunday at The Barclays, he dropped to his knees after one shot because of back spasms.