Tiger Woods is a 'happier, friendlier and nicer man' now than ever before, believe friends and experts
Tiger Woods might not have made it to Golf Digest’s ranking of the nicest guys on the PGA Tour, but looks like he has finally come "full circle" with him going out of his way to make young players feel more comfortable.
Four back injuries, countless surgeries, and comeback-after-comeback later, it makes sense that Woods is done and dusted with the proverbial climb; he is much more content and at peace, as his recent demeanor makes experts and friends believe.
In Woods' native South Florida, he has reportedly formed meaningful friendships with some of the younger faces in the game. Rory McIlroy's 2017 Thanksgiving was significantly dedicated to playing golf with Woods as he calls the golf pro a friend, reports Golf Digest.
Again in 2017, when Justin Thomas won the PGA Championship, he took to Woods’ restaurant in Jupiter to celebrate his victory with the seasoned star.
But Woods took it to the next level and established himself as a person who is way nicer and kinder than he's normally known for with the work his foundation has been doing, especially with all the not so popular stories of him assisting players over the years.
Woods even went on to help one foreign-born PGA Tour player get his green card and, if that doesn't vouch for Woods' niceness, Jason Day's elaborate and endless praises for the celebrated golfer will definitely convince you.
While Woods has invited Day to his house occasionally, that's not where his generosity stoped as he has gone the extra mile to ensure amateurs and rookies in the game feel at home.
When Woods played a practice round at Augusta National with Matt Parziale in 2018, that wasn't his only congratulatory gift to the firefighter for earning an invitation to the Masters by winning the 2017 US Mid-Am. Woods added a letter to express his heartfelt congratulations, and also thanked him for his service in the profession.
Even when Sam Burns was paired with Woods in the 2018 Honda Classic, Woods chatted with the rookie throughout the round and complimented his skills after Burns beat him by two.
Later in the year, when another rookie in the field, Austin Cook, was nervous about playing with Woods on Sunday of the Northern Trust, the pro put the fresher at ease as he initiated conversations, answered Cook's queries and didn't big-time him once.
As Woods has become more forthcoming with the media about his personal life, Golf Digest quoted a sport psychologist as saying: “The muse requires total commitment to winning. There are no half-measures trying to be the best in the world at something. Excellence requires sacrifice, and you have to sacrifice relationships, among other things. Few understand what it takes to get to the top and stay there.”
At the 2018 Tour Championship, Woods won for the first time in five years, and his demeanor following the win was something never seen from him before.
Instead of the regular shut-off reaction, Woods was much warmer—friendly to both players and club staff—posing for photos when requested, and in general happier, one of East Lake’s longtime locker-room assistants told the outlet. “He’s come full circle,” they said.
From a veteran golfer going through a divorce receiving regular texts from Woods checking in on him to another who noticed a more amiable nature in Woods when he won this year’s Masters, Woods is not the person he once was.
“The first 14 majors he won, he was chasing history,” the latter told the outlet. “But you could see it in the emotion he showed that this one was for him and his family. He got to enjoy that one more than the other 14 combined, I think. It was cool to see.”