I’ve been a Tiger fan since he stepped on the green– before I even actually liked watching the game of golf! Love him or hate him, it’s been undeniable for years that he is a truly remarkable golfer and athlete. He did to golf what Michael Jordan did to basketball: completely transformed it (Note: Not what Michael Jordan did to golf. Do not misread that!)

And 2008 brought a whole new level to his magic–and he only played six events!

Not only did he come from behind to win his 14th major at the U.S. Open, he did it with severe injuries in his left leg. Two days after the win, Tiger announced he had to take a leave of absence for the rest of the year. After the Masters in April he had sustained a stress fracture in his left leg and also tore a ligament in his left knee and yet continued to play all year. I’ve seen basketball players leave a game because they jammed a finger! And I can barely walk-let alone play-a whole golf course on a regular day and I’m injury free (broken finger does not count). And here he was smashing the ball and chasing all over 18 holes for 10 months. That’s heart and drive!

Plus his win at the Open was amazing! On the third day, on the 18th hole, Tiger was behind Rocco Mediate by one stroke. Mediate had already left the greens and was in the clubhouse. And what did Tiger do?  He sank the ball in from 13-feet out  to tie the match and force an 18-hole playoff the next day.

Monday’s matchup pitted legendary Tiger against Mediate, who was ranked #158 in the tour.

My favorite quote from this event comes from Time.com

As office productivity plummeted across the country, Rocco, down three strokes after 10 holes, roared back to take a lead going into 18. But Tiger birdied the last hole again to force overtime, and he clinched the championship in the first hole of sudden death. And by the way, he won his 14th major on a broken left leg (that’s not a misprint).

As if he wasn’t great enough to begin with! Now he can play golf one legged too? That’s just sick!

Up next tomorrow: #6 A Cinderella Story

go back to: #8 A Giant Victory

or check out my Top Sports Commercials of 2008

About the author: Jennifer Taglione is the owner of this fabulous website Stiletto Sports. Despite writing well over 500 posts, she still maintains that she is not a sports writer! She is however a huge fan of Kurt Warner, Larry Fitzgerald, Mark Sanchez, the Celtics, and totally kicks butt on March Madness brackets! Connect with her by following her on Twitter @StilettoSportsJ and subscribing to her weekly newsletter. For more info check out the About the Editor page!

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