Yesterday, the top story for many national news outlets was Tiger Woods’ return to professional golf at the Masters Tournament in Augusta, Ga. This marks a step toward normalcy for the famed golfer, who returns to the endeavor through which he established his once highly reputable name. Tiger has won 14 professional major golf championships and 71 Professional Golf Association tour events. These statistics have been relatively meaningless lately, however, due to a wave of personal blunders briefly detailed below:

Nov. 27, 2009 — Woods suffers facial lacerations in a car crash outside his Florida home after colliding with a fire hydrant and a tree. Rumors of domestic violence arise.

Dec. 2, 2009 — Cocktail waitress Jaimee Grubbs claims she had a two-and-a-half-year affair with Woods, who says via website: “I have let my family down and I regret those transgressions with all of my heart.”

Dec. 4-11, 2009 — Several women come forward with claims of flings with Woods, including a porn star and a waitress. At least 10 women allegedly linked to Woods.

Dec. 13, 2009 — Consulting firm Accenture ends six-year sponsorship of Woods, saying he is “no longer the right representative for its advertising.” Other sponsors including Nike and Tag Heuer stick with Woods.

Jan. 19, 2010 — Woods is reported to be receiving treatment for sexual addiction at a clinic in Hattiesburg, Mississippi.

Feb.19, 2010 — Woods makes first appearance since the scandal broke, apologizing for “selfish and irresponsible” behavior in a statement televised around the world.

In this article, I do not intend to express my opinion on the personal life saga that engulfed Tiger, nor do I plan to communicate my views on him as an individual. Instead, I hope to examine what his return to golf means to us, as individuals, and how we can all learn something about the temptations of power, the process of failure and the act of rebuilding.

Instances of athletes, movie stars and politicians falling victim to the enormity of their own power are a dime a dozen. Whether it is wealth, fortune or fame, many celebrities have blamed personal mistakes and wrongdoings on success. Although more greatly publicized, the potential for massive success to contribute to destructive decisions certainly does not lie only with celebrities. As students, we confront similar possibilities, whether as on campus organization officers, summer interns or anything else. To think that you will never face a situation in which you feel “invincible” and are tempted to use power for mischief is naïve. Asking how you would have acted in Tigers situation or when your own self-made crisis arises are realistic questions we should all consider.

Even if you find the comparison between personal temptation and the temptation faced by Tiger difficult, surely we can all empathize with disappointing ourselves, others or both. It does not take something as glamorous as a Hollywood sex scandal to generate personal disappointment or shame. Failing a test, cheating on a significant other and neglecting family obligations are all realities college students confront. 

Many had previously praised Tiger as an ideal role model, someone with impeccable work ethic and dignity. While some people have changed their opinions, I believe recent events prove that no one is perfect. There are certainly degrees of making mistakes, but everyone will make one at some point, I guarantee it. 

At previous points on the timeline illustrated at this beginning of this article, I have considered writing my column on the Tiger Woods developments. I have continually refrained because I did not see much of a message beyond “It is wrong to do such things as cheat on your wife” and “celebrities make mistake too, often big ones.” Yesterday, however, I concluded that Tiger’s return to professional golf marks an extremely appropriate time to comment on the issue and explain what the whole debacle means to me. On Feb. 19, Tiger made his first public speech since the start of his surrounding controversy. In the speech, Tiger apologized, asked for help and claimed he would focus on what was most important to him. At the time, those things were family and religion, and Tiger has apparently made an effort to re-explore his Buddhist roots and improve his role as a husband and father. 

Yesterday, Tiger returned to the role most people familiarize him with: professional golfer. Has Tiger solved all of his personal problems involving his family and religion? Surely, he has not. Nevertheless, he has made what appears to be a genuine pledge to remain focused on those issues while also reentering the golf world, which is also a major part of his life. As Tiger crushed his tee shot down the middle of Augusta’s 1st hole, he was met mostly with cheers and shouts of support. There were, however, also accompanying boos and shouts of criticism. As we all succumb to the temptations of power one day, acknowledge personal shortcomings and seek to overcome them, let us remember Tiger Woods. If it is our sole impression of him, Tiger has taught us that there will be supporters and there will be critics, but we should always try to remember what is important to us. Failure is universal, the ability to return to core values and reestablish ourselves is not. 

Shaun Werbelow is a junior in the School of Industrial and Labor Relations. He may be contacted at swerbelow@cornellsun.com. Second Opinion appears alternate Fridays.