I am a sports fan. I have always been in awe of athletes reaching the Hall of Fame in their individual sport. There is nothing better as a viewer, than watching the four majors, the World Series, the Super Bowl, the majors in Tennis, the NBA Finals, the Stanley Cup Finals, the Final Four, etc. And then, you wonder how is it that these athletes really excel, what makes them "tick".

In 1973 and 1978, I saw a glimpse, up-close of two golfers who later made the Hall of Fame: Lee Trevino, then Seve Ballesteros. It was just a small preview of what I would be lucky enough to witness over the next 49 years as far as golf is concerned, I've been so lucky to watch all of these and share memories with my children and other youth.

If you are a golfer, and didn't watch the well deserved induction of four people in the World Golf Hall of Fame, who not only deserved to be there, but who totally changed the game of golf with their dedication and accomplishments, you missed something that would have enriched your knowledge and love for the game,

All four of them, Susie Maxwell, Marion Hollins (who had a hand in the design of Cypress Point, something I learned last night), Tim, Finchem and Tiger Woods, deserved it, but the last one of these to be presented with the honor, Tiger Woods, was, by far, something no only to be expected, but something that we, who watched it, felt almost like part of that history.

Last night we saw a different man. A different story on how he got to his pedestal.

Only two men’s lives have made the PGA Tour and USGA change age requirements for different reasons:

USGA changed senior age requirement from 55 to 50 so Arnold Palmer could give them a boost in ratings going forward… it was a good move for golf.

And PGA Tour changing the age requirement for induction in the Hall of Fame from 50 to 45 so that the inevitable happened sooner rather than later, Tiger being inducted in the Golf Hall of Fame. It was a great move to honor a man who showed time and time again, that, among other things, hard work pays off.

For years, I was not a Tiger fan, though I recognized his awesome accomplishments with admiration. I remember teasing my wife, a true Tiger fan, over and over, about what Tiger “didn’t do”. As time went by, and he continued to overcome obstacles, some of his own fabrication, those barriers that I had to keep him from my liking, began coming down, some of them crumbled to mere dust, totally disappearing.

Last night, I not only saw the champion, but the human being that became a champion. What an honor for Sammy, his oldest daughter, to present her dad with the award!