When the news of Tiger Woods’ ruptured Achilles crackled through the pre-tournament peace at the Players Championship Tuesday afternoon, it came with a sagging sense of déjà vu and a wistful concern about whether this is the one that puts the period on arguably the greatest golf story ever written.
“It sucks,” is how Rory McIlroy described his reaction Wednesday morning.
It’s a natural assumption that a 12th surgery in the past 17 years – this one on his “good” left leg – might be the one that closes off any more real comebacks considering Woods is just nine months away from his 50th birthday.
But let’s not go down that road, not just yet, because this is Tiger Woods we’re talking about.
A torn Achilles is debilitating and painful, especially for someone old enough to be getting AARP mailers, but it’s not the end of the athletic world. Kobe Bryant, Kevin Durant and Dan Marino are just a few whose careers glistened post-Achilles injury.
Bernhard Langer tore his Achilles last year and three months later he was playing competitive golf again – and he won a PGA Tour Champions event last November at age 67, reinforcing the freakish brilliance of his career.
Langer hasn’t dealt with as many serious injuries as Woods has, including the forever effects of his nearly fatal auto accident four years ago, but he is a generation older than the 15-time major champion which suggests time, even as it continues its steady creep, can still be Woods’ ally.
If Woods wants to – and there’s no reason to think his competitive DNA has been compromised by his latest setback – he can push himself through another rehab which has become as familiar over the years as hitting another pile of practice balls.
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