Tiger Woods' 5th Masters Win: An Epic Career Comeback

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BRIEF

In November 2009, the National Enquirer published a story claiming that Woods had an extramarital affair in New York City. Two days later, around 2:30 a.m. on November 27, Woods was driving from his Florida mansion when he collided with a fire hydrant, a tree, and several hedges near his home.

Woods released a statement on his website, taking sole responsibility for the accident and calling it a "private matter." He credited his wife for helping him from the car. On November 30, Woods announced that he would not appear at his own charity golf tournament, the Chevron World Challenge, nor any other tournaments in 2009.

Following Woods' admission of infidelity, several companies re-evaluated their relationships with him. Accenture, AT&T, Gatorade, and General Motors completely ended their sponsorship deals, while Gillette suspended advertising featuring Woods. TAG Heuer dropped Woods from advertising in December 2009 and officially ended their deal when his contract expired in August 2011. Golf Digest suspended Woods's monthly column beginning with the February 2010 issue.

In contrast, Nike and Electronic Arts continued to support Woods. A December 2009 study estimated the shareholder loss caused by Woods's affairs to be between $5 billion and $12 billion.

COMMENT

Did Mr. Woods lose his talent during the "scandal"? Certainly not.

Did his feelings about the events impact his focus and concentration? Undoubtedly.

Did Woods regain his prowess through sheer will or divine intervention? Highly unlikely.

It's more plausible that he regained his powers by working through the issue. He not only addressed the "scandal" itself but also the underlying reasons that led to it, of which he had not been fully aware before.

The goal is to recognize and address unknown self-feelings that may steer us in the wrong direction. By doing so, we avoid becoming our own enemy and, through self-reflection, we can learn from our actions and improve each time.

Were Nike and Electronic Arts crazy to continue supporting Woods? Nike seems to understand athletes better than General Motors, Accenture, and AT&T, among others. Is that why Nike is Nike?

Tiger improves with every challenge, as does anyone who dares to delve deep into their own psyche.

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