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Tiger Woods turned 36 on Monday, and as he prepares to play in his hometown event, the Genesis Open, the all-time great has little time for self-celebration. He still has work to do, he said, and he doesn’t have much to celebrate.
“I’ve had a pretty good run,” Mr. Woods, who hasn’t won a major championship since 2008, said at a news conference. “As I’ve said, getting back to world No. 1 . . . never got there.”
Over the past couple of years, Mr. Woods has conducted himself with dignity and humility, and so his comments were as measured as his words tend to be: “The tough part is being able to deal with disappointment. Being able to keep your head up and keep pushing. It’s just been such a grind for so long that I just don’t know that I can keep doing that. I just know the idea of not wanting to do that. I don’t know how to do that.”
Despite the agonizing losses, at major championships and even at home in his own backyard, the good news is that Mr. Woods continues to have a broad global appeal, and he’s ready to capitalize on it.
“I think I’m close. I can certainly win a major championship,” he said. “I’ve been in contention in a major before. If I could just do it once, just get it done . . . I can do it.”
Mr. Woods also has played a significant role in advancing the sport of golf, both as a player and as an agent. During a TV interview after his fall last year, Mr. Woods described how he has become far more proactive in helping other golfers.
“I have a lot more decision-making power now,” he said. “I try to get involved in everyone’s plans. We’re all part of the same family. It’s an adjustment. I don’t know how I’m going to do it, but it’s an adjustment.”