In the Master's this year, Tiger Woods strained his knee while trying to hit an awkward shot.
Was this injury the result of unfortunate bad luck?
Was it the result of overtraining or the many rounds of golf he'd previously played through pain? Or did it relate directly to the previous injury and surgery he had back in 2008? The answers to any of these questions are unclear.
What is certain: injury is the one obstacle that can deprive golf fans of one of their greatest champions. It is the one clear event that can end the career of a champion, or at the least curtail his or her ability to win seemingly at will.
Tiger's champion advantage is that he is willing to remake himself, most notably in his swing changes. He understands that in order to play at his level, his swing needs the occasional revamping. These swing overhauls require a very intensive physical effort. Most other golfers do not undergo such swing transformations - and as history dictates, no golfer in the Tiger Wood's era has the professional record of Tiger Woods. It seems he's doing something right.
In addition to his golf game, Tiger also has an aggressive conditioning program. Unlike golfers of previous generations, who most certainly put less emphasis on fitness, Tiger's body is continually changing due to exercise. Thus, with the standard age-related changes, training-related changes, and golf swing adaptations, Tiger is managing three variables that can affect his physical health and how he strikes the ball.
Over the past 10 to 15 years, conditioning programs have taken on their own life with respect to the careers of great athletes and those striving to be great. Tiger is no different. According to his website, his daily routine begins with a mix of endurance runs, sprints, or biking, followed by weight lifting, golf practice, and more weight lifting.
Is a downside to all this conditioning greater wear on his body? One might even ask, is Tiger overtrained, thus more susceptible to injury? Is the combination of daily running and sprinting too much for his body to handle, particularly for his knees and Achilles tendons? Perhaps Tiger's next move is to reassess his fitness program.
Playing through pain and injury has long-term consequences. The short-term benefit may be an amazing victory and the further defining of a legend. The long-term consequences of persevering through pain and injury along with aggressive training and swing practice, however, might be an assault on the longevity of an athletic career.