Some huge storylines have already emerged from the start of PGA Championship week, but one in particular immediately caught my attention. No, it wasn't the on-going pursuit of the career grand slam for Jordan Spieth, or Rory McIlroy attempting to break his major drought, because Tiger Woods arrived at Valhalla Golf Club rocking the goatee!
A strong wave of nostalgia washed over me, and I couldn't resist the temptation to crawl the archives for examples of previous Tiger wins with one of his trademark, old-school looks. Unsurprisingly, there were quite a few, but I have picked five of my favourites to share with you on this magical and evocative journey through time...
1. WGC American Express – 2005
Let's head way back for our first stop, at the 2005 WGC American Express. In typical Tiger-style of the time, he hovered around the top-5 of the leaderboard all week before pouncing on Sunday.
A final round 67 meant a play-off with John Daly was required, which lasted just two holes before Tiger eventually secured the victory with a pair of pars. This was one of the first occasions where we saw a previously baby-faced assassin decide to bring out the beard, opening the flood gates for plenty more hair-raising honours!
2. Dunlop Phoenix Open – 2005
Just a few weeks later, and after sticking with the goatee, Tiger fought out another victory at the Dunlop Phoenix Open in Japan. A play-off was also required on this occasion, this time against Kaname Yokoo, after Tiger shot his worst round of the week on Sunday (72).
Woods would run out eventual winner, smiling with the trophy while sporting a slightly thicker shape that was starting to become synonymous with his wins around that time.
3. Arnold Palmer Invitational – 2013
This one is my favourite, and rivals the look that Tiger is rocking at Valhalla this week. Four rounds of 70 or better saw Tiger win this event for an incredible eighth time, holding off Justin Rose by two shots.
This was arguably the peak goatee year for Tiger Woods, with four of his five wins coming while rocking the look. He hasn't achieved that level of success since, and while there have been many factors that have contributed to that, perhaps the return of the goatee might bring some rejuvenated alpha-energy for Tiger at the PGA Championship this week.
4. The PLAYERS Championship – 2013
As I just referenced, goatee returns... wins arrive in bunches.
This is an event that Tiger has won twice in his career so far, and he once again dominated throughout the event. A strong start saw him finish fourth after round one, and he carried on that high level of performance to finish second after round two, first after round three and eventually secure a two-shot victory on Sunday.
Despite a slight adaption to the previous style and length choice, the stubble-stache and accompanying chin tuft still gave Tiger that familiar look – the one where it seemed inevitable he would crush the field on his way to a comfortable victory.
5. Tour Championship – 2018
As we reach the end of this journey, we arrive at what I believe to be the last victorious sighting of the Tiger Woods goatee.
The 2018 Tour Championship at East Lake saw Tiger at well-past his best, but he used all of his experience to get the job done against the odds. We would be fortunate enough to see Tiger win The Masters and The ZOZO as a clean-shaven hero in 2019, but I am hopeful that the return of the goatee could mark the start of a late career comeback for Tiger and one final fairytale ending!
