https://twitter.com/TheTweetOfGod/status/1117494615756513280?s=19
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Homer Simpson
Dubai fvcked me over in many ways, but what is undeniable it allowed me to do stuff that mere mortals can only dream of.
My voluntary work at the golf put me in the middle of the celebrations at two Ryder Cups. Equally, over many years I had the chance to walk alongside, watch close up, talk to and drink beer with Tiger.
To me he was an inspiration. Seeing how his mind worked at tournaments, the focus, the awareness of what must be done - on the course, with the sponsors, supporters. The consumate professional.
My greatest ever joke was when none other than Brian Lara was walking next to me following Tger one year and said “I can’t believe I’m walking in the footsteps of a Legend”, and from nowhere, the reply - everyone says that when they walk with me on a Golf Course was my greatest moment - and he bought me beer & introduced me to his mates (Andy Cole, Dwight York & Dennis Irwin).
But back to Tiger
I walked this close to him I took this. I have signed stuff and signed “selfies” with him.
None of that is the story.
The story is that in February 2017, Tiger returned to play in the Desert Classic in Dubai. I was in the Team assigned to look after him. We were with him in the Pro Am and then into the Thursday.
Another of my snaps
The point of this post is that on the Thursday morning Tiger slipped on the steep slope from the changing room to the putting green. He grimaced. During his round on that Thursday he grimaced every shot, every time he bent over to pick the ball out the hole. By the end of his round he could hardly walk.
His manager Mark Steinberg is someone I also got to know over the years (hell I even asked him to get Tiger to buy Saints before Admin). We had talked of the suffering Tiger had caused - to those who worked for him - over those dark years, of how Mark had had to “manage” all the divorce fall-out.
Mark said he thought that was it, he wouldn’t say it, but one of our team said “we will be the last volunteers to work with Tiger” he nodded.
We wondered how Tiger would even be able to fly back home.
So tonight, I raise a glass. That man WAS broken. I don’t need the msm to tell me I saw it with my own eyes.
He was almost a GOAT in golfing terms, hell he WAS a GOAT in sporting terms. The first Billion Dollar Sports Person.
Today he went one step beyond.
I am so glad I was able to watch that. It is the greatest motivational moment in sport. Ever.
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Just finished watching it on catch-up.
Not gonna lie, I wept like an infant there.
The things sport does…
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Thing is, the volunteer crew hoped. We didn’t believe. We hoped. It was insane to believe.
Then today, yes, we all cried like idiots. In Vietnam, Phillipines, Australia, Dubai, UK and US.
It was bloody magical.
Azinger said, at the end of the Beeb coverage, ‘he went from the world’s most revered athlete to the butt of every joke’.
To build it back from that, not just to be professionally competitive, but to have so many people delighted that you did, is huge.
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Like I said, having seen him when he finally broke, we wondered if he would even walk again. It is astonishing.
Faldo & Ian Baker Finch completely lost it from the moment he hit his drive on 17th on the Golf TV/US feed.
Majestic
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OK, this will slightly controversial bearing in mind the outpouring of tiger love & emotion around the world but I just don’t get it. All I see and have seen is what comes across as a carefully ‘manufactured’ person who seems arrogant and somewhat fake. When he cheated on his wife and I’m guessing fucked up his family, instead of just humbly admitting he did a bad thing hired ex white house PR specialist to handle the fallout.
I’m sure behind the manufactured persona there beats a heart of gold but still the emotion this victory seems to have inspired just seems odd.
Obviously I’m completely wrong but would love to understand why?
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I’m with you Rust, and before I go on I should acknowledge that I couldn’t give a shit about golf, but I’ve never been able to warm to Woods.
I imagine having your childhood robbed from you and having it thrown into a good walk spoiled probably didn’t help his personality.
And neither would forming a link between love from your father and your own ability to achieve birdies, eagles and ostriches or whatever they’re called.
I guess that back when he started the parental intention was honest, but as we see with loads of child stars they often end up broken or rebelling in spectacular fashion “Shamone!”.
Putting all of that aside, I can understand that the sporting achievement is huge - coming back from where he was.
Still couldn’t give a shit though.
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Fair point Rusty. But also a slight miss.
This isn’t just about the clvsterfvck he made of his personal life, it’s about the come back from injury as well.
His back problem wasn’t just career threatening it was close to stopping him even walking.
Equally before the car crash he was a GOAT. And a billionaire as well, it would have been so easy to just become a TV Commentator or retire to a country club.
He didn’t. He went through a shit storm of pain and not only played again, but beat the best talent in the world.
An inspiration to anyone who falls through the cracks of life and society that you CAN make it back from the darkness.
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Oh, and hes not the only golfer let alone sportsman who couldn’t keep it in his pants.
But those golf stories are for the pub not social media.
I don’t think anyone is ignoring the fact that he has been down, and fought his way back/dug himself out of a bunker etc and we all deserve second chances when we fuck it up… fair enough But I think what Rusty hole is getting at is the public over emoting on it… the excess of starfucking fandom about what is really a very rich golfer … winning a game of golf.
Its the collective public over emoting for ‘damaged’ souls, pretending they knew us and cared for us personally, same as with Diana… a spoilt ‘princess’ who liked a bit of cock and had the time and leisure to support good causes - as we all would if we had that money and free time…
I just dont get connonization of folks whose lives have ben fucked despite them having all the chances /wealth and opportunity
So if Saints win a trophy in our lifetime you are saying you won’t be in the queue to lick their arseholes because all it was was a bunch of rich people winning a game of football?
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i will be ecstatic, but I won’t be elevating them to unnatural heights. Its kind of transference - whereby people use other success to feel better about themselves… which I can understand, but I dont subscribe to… being fucking brilliant 
I was happy to see Woods win. He’s been through a fair bit of coordinated demonisation(which was over the top) and his injuries were a massive hurdle(particularly for a golfer), so all the best to him for this achievement.
All the bullshit that comes with it, is as @Polski_Filip explained at the beginning. The back story. This unfortunately sometimes seems more important to people than the sporting achievement. That said beating a serious back injury for a golfer is a really big deal, so it’s maybe justified this time(never again though).
Fuck that, if Ralph wins us a trophy I will promote him from ‘King Ralph’ to ‘God Ralph’ 
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But that is true for ANY celebrity that has fallen down. The media loves to build people up and then seems to take much more pleasure in destroying them when they transgress.
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