Zephyr Melton from Golf.com states that the significance of The Masters itself is that “The Masters is important because, as stated above, it is one of four majors in men’s professional golf. Beyond being a major, The Masters holds additional prestige as the winner each year has a standing invitation to come back and compete in the event for the rest of their life.”

The Masters reveals itself to be an example of a professional sports tournament that focuses only on the sport, without any corporate intervention. The Masters golf tournament does not capture the same amount of viewership compared to the NFL, NBA, or even the MLB.

According to Sportico, the ratings for The Masters have grown in the last six years, with this year drawing 10.2 million viewers, which is 7% up on last year’s tournament. The 2022 Masters also recorded the highest viewership for the second round since 2016. The return of Tiger Woods after his car crash, as well as the influx of talented young stars, amplified the ratings for the historic event.

However, Corey Berning from scratchgolfshop.com asserts its unique traits, such as a locked location in Augusta, Ga., as well as the “rich set of traditions that have been developed around it, including the famed green jacket. Originally just for members of the club, it is now awarded to the winner each year in a time-honored ritual.”

This year’s Masters yielded Scottie Scheffler, ranked number one going into the tournament, as the one who shall be granted the illustrious green jacket. Being just 25, he is one of the youngest players ever to win the tournament with a score of 72. Rory McIlroy, another young talent, was just three strokes behind him to claim second place. 

Tiger Woods, who was recently involved in a debilitating car crash, claimed 47th place. Max Giles from TheCatalyst.com claims that “despite the low finish, he [Woods] put out a good showing considering what his past year has been like. The GOAT of golf is still going strong despite everything that’s been thrown his way throughout his career.”

All major golf tournaments have rules that protect the traditions of the game. One of these is that there is a limit for sponsors set at five, with no branding promoted to any degree on behalf of the players. According to Berning, This is designed to limit distractions and bring focus to the beauty of the game that’s drawn in so much of its audience.

While breaking down the results of the tournament, there is one commonality in the discourse: a focus on the performance of the players. Compared to other sports organizations, there are no sponsored or represented brands shown on the broadcast or on the equipment of players. No halftime shows or hyped commercials, just the best professionals the game of golf has to offer.

Tiger Woods’ wildly successful golf career has won him a variety of coveted prizes. He’s won 81 Professional Golfers’ Association (PGA) championships. Woods recently won his 5th green jacket – and the hefty cash prize of $2.07 million – by coming from behind to win the April 14 Masters Tournament.

These prizes all are to be expected of a man considered to be one of the best golfers of all time. A prize a little less predictable? The Presidential Medal of Freedom.

President Donald Trump tweeted on his personal Twitter – and then retweeted using the official POTUS account – that he planned to award Tiger Woods just that.

Trump gave Woods the award May 6. Woods’ children and mother were in attendance.

“The age of Tiger gave us moments that will live forever in sporting lore,” Trump said. Trump applauded Tiger’s comeback and in remarks similar to his tweet, congratulating him on an “amazing life.”

The Presidential Medal of Freedom is the most prestigious award a citizen of the United States can be given. The awards were started by President John F Kennedy in 1963 as a way to honor civilian service.

“The Presidential Medal of Freedom is not just our nation’s highest civilian honor – it’s a tribute to the idea that all of us, no matter where we come from, have the opportunity to change this country for the better.  From scientists, philanthropists, and public servants to activists, athletes, and artists, these 21 individuals have helped push America forward, inspiring millions of people around the world along the way,” Former President Barack Obama said of the award.

Woods is the 33rd athlete and 4th golfer to win the award. This is the 8th Medal of Freedom that Trump has awarded throughout his presidency. Former President Barack Obama honored 123 individuals.

Despite this award, Woods has not alway been the model U.S. citizen. Several controversies have revolved around the professional golfer.

In 2017 Woods was arrested for driving under the influence of five different drugs – including pain killers, sleep aids and an ingredient usually found in marijuana.

This came eight years after the cheating fiasco that started with Woods’ wife, Elin, learning that her husband was having an affair – a revelation that lead to Woods crashing his Escalade into a fire hydrant – and ended with Woods in therapy for a sex addiction after 15 different mistresses were identified.

Yet, Woods also has done an admirable amount of charity work. The Tiger Woods Foundation works with minorities, first-generation college students and kids at or below the poverty line to provide educational opportunities and encourage higher education. The foundation has four out of four stars on Charity Navigator.

Woods self-identifies as “Cablinasian” – a mix of Caucasian, Black, American Indian and Asian – which means that Woods stands out in the predominantly white sport of golf.

Woods has been an inspiration for children who might not feel like they look like the traditional golfer to try out the sport.

Woods has been no stranger to controversy – but neither has the President. The two both share a love of golf and will now share the rare memory of the Presidential Medal of Freedom ceremony.

Woods has created a legacy that posits him as somewhat of a god in the golf community. Despite his past transgressions, like his cheating scandal in 2013 and subsequent divorce, Woods has managed to overcome the fiasco along with a host of lingering back injuries. This is only proving why Woods is worthy of the respect that he gets.

Though, Woods has never been characterized as infallible by any means. He embodies everything you’d expect out of a hyper-famous pro athlete. The recurring difficulties of his infidelity, being a part of a collective and hubris are not at all surprising considering the stature Woods has built for himself. He plays good golf. That’s all anyone has ever expected of him – nothing more and surely nothing less.

With this in mind, Woods’ recent resurgence in the form of his PGA tour win could stand to truly solidify Woods’ position in golf history. In a promotion for the upcoming 2018 Ryder Cup starting Sept. 28, Tiger was asked to name his golf Mount Rushmore. He answered naming Sam Snead, Bobby Jones, Jack Nicklaus and Tiger Woods. Yes, Woods named himself as one of the four greatest players to ever grasp a club. This statement might be problematic if it weren’t for Woods’ 80 PGA tour wins and 14 major wins which rank him second only to Snead and seven ahead of Nicklaus in the latter category.

While this is a brazen display of hubris it is more accurately a demonstration of Woods’ determination of his goals. The fact that Woods is still competing at age 42, and it seems his career still has an ample amount of gas left in it is important because we could get a Woods that plays as well as he did during his historic run between 2000 and 2008.

Fellow golfing veteran and rival of Woods Phil Mickelson is even recognizing the greatness with which Woods is playing right now.

Mickelson tweeted, “I just played with Tiger today, and it is the best I’ve ever seen him swing the club. It is so on-plane and solid.”

This quote is notable coming from Mickelson because he has been playing with and competing against Woods for upwards of two decades. Mickelson witnessed the Tiger Slam, when Woods finished in first place consecutively at the Masters Tournament, U.S. Open, Open Championship and on the PGA tour – the only four major tournaments golfers participate in throughout the year. What this means is that Woods is essentially more technically adept now than he was when he was quantitatively at his best.

Also worthy of consideration is the fact that Woods underwent his fourth back surgery, a spinal fusion operation, in 2017. The severity of Woods’ injuries led many to believe that he would never reach the golfing heights he once had. Woods’ PGA tour win seemingly proved his critics wrong. Injuries can largely be ruled out as the reason Woods does not succeed in the future now.

All of this leads to one major conclusion – Tiger Woods is back. He is swinging the club better than ever and now he has another trophy and nine million dollars from his PGA win to prove to everyone he can still play. Much like the quest’s of Tom Brady and Lebron James for continued greatness into their older years in terms of athleticism, Woods wants to solidify his status to point where there is no dispute as to his legitimacy.

Photo courtesy of Online Gambling.