We dare you: Be sympathetic to Tiger Woods. Yes, he is a polarizing figure. But he also is the best golfer of his generation.
Even the coldest of hearts must feel sorry to see him walk away from the Farmers Insurance Open because of back pain. Yeah, just a little at least.
Why? Because we've all been there. When your sacroiliac is out of whack or your spine is out of line, you know how it feels. Back spasms are no fun, unless you are the Marquis de Sade or Christian Grey.
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Really, golf needs Woods. He's the rainmaker for TV numbers, the man who brings fans to tournaments. Even those rooting against him must realize Woods is their foil to test Rory McIlroy or Sergio Garcia or Jordan Spieth.
That's why it would be great to see Woods back on the course before the Masters. How he gets into shape to play is up to Woods.
Take a look at the seven pieces of advice offered by Golf Digest's Luke Kerr-Dineen. They are among the plethora of suggestions Woods should weigh in regard to his future. Of course Woods also has his own medical experts and trainers and therapy options to follow.
Golf fans should also pay heed to Barry Svrluga of The Washington Post, who appears to be spot on with his suggestion that Woods is broken and shows no evidence to the commitment he needs to heal himself.
Or maybe, as Paul Daugherty writes in The Cincinnati Enquirer, Woods is now a mere mortal. With the wear and tear on his body, Woods is an old 39 year old. His laundry list of injuries and repairs include four knee operations and fixes to his back, an elbow and an Achilles tendon.
We're not talking NFL-style punishment, but that is a large list of medical problems.
Daugherty also suggests it's time to drop the pretense and admit we pity Woods. In addition to all his health issues, he brought upon himself the continuing pain of his divorce from Elin Nordegren amid reports he owes a massive amount of alimony. Like, $50 million worth of pain.
Clearly, Woods isn't the colossus he was even in 2013, when he was player of the year. Bloomberg puts the cold, hard facts in colorful charts, showing at best we can expect flurries of success from Woods from now on.
Look, what happened Thursday could be as simple as Woods tried to make it seem. He got cold, his muscles tensed up and that affected the key parts a golfer needs to be at peak performance.
Tiger, we feel your pain. But Woods and Woods alone will determine what happens next. Tape an aspirin to it, have Lindsey Vonn help with your rehab workouts and be fit the next time you hit the course.
We can pity the man. We just can't accept he won't do his damnedest to get better.