A few months after the 2009 car crash that began the unravelling of his career for most of the next decade, Tiger Woods returned to golf.

He wasnt much good, but he was different.

At [previous] tournaments, he would look at you and burn a hole right through you, like you didnt even exist, touring pro Jason Gore a man whod known Woods since they were grade-schoolers told Sports Illustrated years later. He started asking about my wife, asking about my kids. It was nice to see him be, you know, normal.

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The most famous stop on Woodss unlikely comeback tour happened eight months ago in Augusta, Ga., when he won the Masters. But his transformation from an alien robot sent here to destroy golf courses into a recognizably human person found its fullest expression in Australia over the weekend.

Woods arrived at the Presidents Cup a tournament that mixes the best parts of a golf major, a football pep rally and a WWE tag-team match circa 1984 as the rookie captain of the U.S. team.

Tiger Woods holds the Presidents Cup after the U.S. defeated the International team in Melbourne, Australia, on Sunday.

SIMON BAKER/AFP/Getty Images

Presidents Cup captains are traditionally over-the-hill figureheads much like actual presidents. They are there to add gravitas to the event and, one assumes, say things like, Try to hit the ball toward the hole.

Using his discretionary roster picks, Woods tapped himself for the team. That often ends in tears, but it is what youd expect from a guy who has never lacked for confidence. And he was right. Hed been the best American in the early going.

Then he did something surprising.

In the penultimate round, with the America side trailing the Rest-of-the-World team badly, Woods benched himself.

We gotta do whats best for the team, Woods not-really explained.

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Despite all the public speaking hes done in his life, Woods has never developed the knack for it. He channels all his thoughts through a motivational clich machine.

Once the cameras were on, Woods had never once taken the risk of saying or doing anything that might be held against him. Its one of the reasons that while many people admired or envied him, no one ever loved him.

This was a little different. Woods was opening himself up to a bunch of bad possibilities Tiger the ditherer, Tiger the quitter, Tiger the fraidy-cat.

And then it worked out. The Americans reeled the Internationals in on Saturday and with Woods back on the course finished them off Sunday. If not a fightback for the ages, it was still a notable one.

As he hit his winning stroke against Mexicos Abraham Ancer, Woods had his hat off and was extending his hand before the ball was in the cup. No hooting. No fist pumps. No celebrations.

Afterward, he walked over to a group of American fans for photos. He looked happy?

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This is no longer the guy we once knew.

What was most remarkable was the way in which Woodss team talked about the victory after the fact. They hadnt won with him. Theyd won for him.

It was pretty awesome to play for the greatest player ever, Matt Kuchar said.

We are very inspired to play for Tiger, with Tiger, and its so satisfying to win this Cup because of that, Tony Finau said.

Okay, so golfers arent poets. But the point is that among his peers, at least Woods has finally ascended to something approaching Arnold Palmer status. He isnt just demonstrably great at golf any more. He now exists in a realm above the game. Hes becoming an icon.

The tricky thing about icons is that, in order to be one, you must be liked.

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Athletes who are remote and make no human connections may also be considered great, but they are forgotten after a generation or so.

You dont linger in the imagination because you won X number of tournaments or trophies. Lots of people win things. Your longevity is born of stories the time you did this or said that or touched someones life in a small, but telling way. The simpler these stories are, the more they stick in the public mind.

When you think of Palmer these days, it has very little to do with his titles. A vast majority of people have never seen those wins. They may not even have seen him hit a stroke in his prime.

Palmer remains a titan because people tell stories about how lovely he was to be around. He apparently had that special skill of really seeing people, rather than looking through them.

He wasnt likeable because he was great. He was likeable in spite of it.

You cant tell that story yourself. You cant pay a PR firm or the marketing guys at Nike to manufacture it for you. Others have to volunteer for the duty.

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Woods will be 44 in a few days long past the age most athletes get to play. And people have finally started to tell those stories.

One gets the feeling that the key to that wasnt his play. It was his lack thereof. In taking his own name off the list, Woods did something he hasnt often been accused of showing humility. That it worked out only added to the meaningfulness of the gesture.

All the talk now is of what Woods will look like in 2020. Hes still old and creaky. He didnt manage much this year after the Masters. But hes just had a nice, little run of form.

Will he return next year as resurgent as he looked back in April? He needs three more majors to tie Jack Nicklaus for the most in history. Is that possible?

Im not sure it matters as much any more.

Palmer only won seven majors. Name a golfer who matters more.

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If Woodss goal now is immortality, his new target may be bagging fewer wins and being more normal.

Originally posted here:

Tiger Woods now exists in a realm above golf. Hes become an icon - The Globe and Mail