Tiger Woods’s Olympics Dream May Never Be Fulfilled as Recent Tragedies Rub Salt to Existing Wounds
“Making the Olympic team is a big goal.” It was 2019. Tiger Woods was just five months removed from his swashbuckling, all-odds-defying heroics at Augusta National. Still feeling the warmth of his fifth green jacket, Woods had a clear vision of his next stop. Tokyo Olympics.
He had missed the 2016 iteration. Thank his rebellious back injuries for that. By the time 2020 rolled in, the 15-time major champion looked close to snooping on a spot for himself. He was the seventh-best American golfer; Dustin Johnson, one spot ahead of him, withdrew. Woods needed a few more top-10s to leapfrog to the 4th spot.
So, when the Olympics were postponed to 2021 due to COVID-19, it seemed like providence. As if, Zeus, the Greek god of Olympic games, wanted Tiger Woods to tee off in Japan. However, a near-fatal car crash wrecked his Tokyo dreams. Cut to four years later, there appears to be not even a slim chance that Woods’s Olympic dream will ever be fulfilled.
The former world No. 1 took considerable time to recover from the traumatic incident. The lingering effect of that was still palpable at last year’s Masters. Woods underwent ankle surgery, followed by a long hiatus. There was, of course, no chance of punching a ticket to Paris. But whatever little hope his fans had for the 2028 Olympics seems to be fading away too.
The 15-time major champion has struggled to maintain a steady run of form this year. Consider the Masters: a fine opening round gave way to a tumultuous final two rounds. His legs gave up by Sunday. The autopsy of Valhalla, Pinehurst No. 2, and most recently, the Royal Troon performance, betrays similar injuries.
His body, patched with more metal than bones, is unable to take a 72-hole or even 36-hole grind. Tiger Woods confirmed the Open was this year’s last competitive appearance. There is a faint hope that we will see a different Big Cat at the Ritz Carlton Golf Club.
Even if Tiger Woods manages to salvage his late-stage career, will he be one of the top four American golfers in 2028? Doubtful. Even for Woods. A big reason why he wanted to qualify for the 2020 Olympics so badly was that he knew that might be his last chance.
Woods, despite being hopeful of fulfilling his Olympic dream, didn’t lose sight of reality. He was 43, moving towards the tail-end of his career. “I don’t see myself having too many opportunities other than next year. Four years from now, at the next Olympic Games, I’ll be 48 years old. To be one of the top Americans at that age is going to be tough.” said Tiger Woods.
The last American to win a gold medal in their 50s was sailor, Everard Endt in the 1952 Olympics. Whereas Alex Noren and Camilo Villegas, at 42, are two of the oldest golfers in Paris. That tells a lot about the chances of a 52-year-old Woods qualifying for the 2028 Olympics.
Woods told Reuters in 2019: “The interesting thing about now is that when I was out, there was a whole generation of guys that I didn’t really compete against. Whether it was Jordan (Spieth), JT (Justin Thomas), Bryson (Dechambeau) or Patrick (Reed) these guys were just coming out and I missed that.”
In the next four years, the road to Olympic qualification will be more crowded. Nick Dunlap, Akshay Bhatia, Sahith Theegala, and a bunch of youngsters are fast climbing the ladder. The Jupiter resident might hope for another major again. But the Olympics will forever be a far cry. It’s a shame, of course, because it seems Woods was destined to have an Olympic gold medal.
12 years after a botched-up bid at the 1996 Atlanta Olympics, two members of the International Golf Federation pitched to the IOC again. As Karen Crouse reported in the New York Times, the IOC officials had only one question: “Will Tiger Woods play?”
To add more context here, in 1996, the Olympics were supposed to be held at Augusta National. The club’s exclusivity didn’t fit the motto of equality for some. One more reason was whether it would attract the stars. Tom Kite, the world no. 1, was cold to the idea.
Moreover, IOC has had troubles with golf before. Both British and American players withdrew from the 1908 Olympics. So, the IOC’s fixation on Tiger Woods isn’t hard to fathom. Nevertheless, it took another eight years for golf to return to the Olympics. But fate didn’t allow the tallest player in the game to enter the field.
The next edition will play out in Riviera, where the 15-time major champion hosts the Genesis Invitational each year. But Tiger Woods is unlikely to be there, representing the Stars and Stripes. It’s a bitter story. There is no doubt about it.
