The Trouble with Tiger

The golf season in Minnesota is a short, sweet affair wedged in between snowstorms. To get the most out of your 2011 season, stay tuned to this blog for all the latest golf news, valuable golf tips, a bit of golf history, and everything golf in St. Michael and the NW suburbs. First up, it's Tiger vs. Hogan in an historic injury match-up...

Tiger Woods is out of the 2011 U.S. Open. His withdrawal from next week's major championship being held at Congressional Country Club in Bethesda, Maryland, is due to leg injuries he aggravated during the Master's in April. Here's a quick recap of Tiger's injuries:

July 2007--Ruptured ACL in left knee while running.
April 2008--Cartilage damage in left knee required arthroscopic surgery.
June 2008--Diagnosed with two stress fractures in his left tibia.
June 24, 2008--Reconstructive surgery on his left ACL.
December 2008--Ruptured right Achilles tendon during rehab of left knee.
May 2010--Joint inflammation in his neck.
December 2010--Cortisone shot in his right ankle because of soreness in Achilles tendon.
April 9, 2011--Minor sprain of the MCL in his left knee.
May 12, 2011--Knee, Achilles and calf cause discomfort, leading to his withdrawal from The Players after 9 holes.
June 7, 2011--Withdraws from the U.S. Open

Speculation continues to ooze from every corner of the golf world, wondering what will become of Tiger Woods. But instead of speculating, let's look to the past to shine a light on Tiger's possible future. There is another time in golf history where a golfer in his mid-30s, at the top of his game and dominating the sport, had injuries that put his career in jeopardy.

In the three years from 1946-48, Ben Hogan won 31 PGA Tour events. In 1949, Hogan won two more events early in the season. Without question, Hogan had emerged as the dominant player on Tour following his service in World War II. Then on February 2, 1949, Hogan and his wife were in a head-on accident with a Greyhound bus. Here's the resulting list of injuries:

--Double-fracture of the pelvis
--Fractured collarbone
--Fractured left ankle
--Chipped rib
--Near-fatal blood clots
--Knee cartilage damage

Hogan left the hospital 59 days after the accident with his doctors speculating that he would never walk again. Instead, 11 months after the accident, Hogan was back on Tour, finishing second in his first event, and winning the 1950 U.S. Open five months later.

Hogan was at the top of his game, dominating the sport, suffered injuries that nearly killed him, and was back at the top of the sport in less than two years.
Woods was at the top of his game, dominating the sport, suffered leg injuries, and three years later has yet to find his old form. And he won't.

Hogan stormed back while Tiger sputtered back, and that's a problem.

Tiger's knee won't get better as he progresses through his 30s and 40s, only worse. Tiger's short game won't get better as his young nerves turn into old nerves, only worse. Tiger's air of invincibility among his peers is gone, never to return. Tiger's too-soon return from his previous injuries has left him as one more athlete cursed by injuries and the "What if he had stayed healthy" question.

But it was a great run.