By Zachary Persing ’15, Sports Editor

Although those who do not follow golf closely may believe that Tiger Woods is still a dominant force in the game, due in large part to the incredible volume of media exposure that he gets, the reality is that Woods is nowhere near the top of his game. After only playing seven times during an injury-riddled 2014 season, many people were optimistic that he could turn the corner in the 2015 season. But so far, he hasn’t. In his first start of the season, Woods missed the cut at the Waste Management Phoenix, shooting an awful 13 over par. A week later at the Farmers Insurance Open, Woods withdrew due to a back injury after 11 holes. Tiger’s struggles leave us to ask two basic questions. First, are we seeing the end of Wood’s professional golf career? And second, if we are seeing the end of his career, what will his legacy be?

Before one can asses whether we are seeing the last of Tiger Woods, one must understand that Woods is dealing with not one, but two major issues. The first of these issues is awful play. In the second round of the Waste Management Phoenix Open Tiger Woods shot an 82. Especially considering the relative ease of the course, that score is pathetic. It is actually possible that there are members of the Newark Academy Golf Team that would have recorded a better score. The second of Tiger’s issues is health.  While injuries have been frequent during all of Wood’s career, the past season has been especially bad. Woods hasn’t played a real season in two years. Missing all that time when you are playing well is one thing, but these injuries not only contributing to the deterioration of Woods’ game but also prevent him from fixing the issues with poor play. Despite the aforementioned issues, Sam Goldenring ’16 of the Newark Academy Golf team thinks Tiger can get back to a productive career. He said “I think that there is no chance he’s breaking Jack’s record now (18 Major victories), but I do believe that this lay off he’s taking to re-find his game is a good step towards regaining his former self.” Only time will truly tell if Woods will return to Championship golf or even return at all.

If we are seeing the end of Tiger, and that is a really big if, we must begin to think about his legacy. On the course, Tiger will be remembered as one, if not the, greatest ever. He ranks second all time in PGA Tour wins (79) and Major Wins (14.) Additionally, Tiger holds an incredible .933 winning percentage after holding the 54-hole lead in a major. But for all of Tiger’s talent, we should be critical of the role model he was. Not only did he have a slew of affairs but he is known to throw clubs and curse on the course quite frequently. That kind of behavior is beneath the game of golf and is simply unacceptable for a man to whom countless children across the world look up. Hopefully Woods can return to golf and cement his legacy as the greatest to ever touch a golf club, but more importantly, to set a better example for all those who still look up to him.