I’m looking forward to seeing how Tiger Woods comes back from his reconstructive knee surgery. I’m betting he’s tough as nails and comes back playing some of the best golf of his career.
He seems to be the kind of athlete who loves to test himself, either in the toughest circumstances in a tournament or in life situations. This torn ACL has to be a powerful challenge for him and, deep down inside, an intriguing way to find out what he’s made of.
In some small way I understand. I tore my ACL playing pickup basketball at the age of 48. After surgery I pushed hard in the rehab process and was back on the court 4 months to the day, but with a different perspective on life. I’m certainly no athlete like Tiger Woods, but even I wanted to find out what I was made of.
My surgeon told me that he can tell very quickly which kind of patient will push through and be successful and which won’t. He said it’s all about attitude. There are a lot of athletes who are good while they’re feeling good, but the great ones go beyond that and look at obstacles and injuries as a testing ground for even greater personal achievement.
This quote from legendary coach John Wooden has always meant a lot to me, “Things turn out the best for those who make the best of the way things turn out.” Let’s see how things turn out of Tiger.
