14-time major champion Tiger Woods has inspired generations of golfers at this stage of his career, including the majority of the PGA Tour fields he competes against each week. His opponent on Saturday at the 2019 WGC Match Play, Rory McIlroy, once wrote a letter to Tiger Woods as a 9-year-old, warning the world’s best golfer that he was on his way to becoming his rival. 13 years later, McIlroy annihilated the field at Congressional to win the his first major championship at the 2011 U.S. Open.
Via the New York Times:
“[Rory sat] down one morning at home and fashion a decidedly double-edged fan note to his childhood hero, then holding the world No. 1 ranking. No one can recall the note’s precise wording, but its general thrust, as Brian McIlroy, Rory’s uncle and godfather, paraphrased in an email, put Woods on notice: “I’m coming to get you. This is the beginning. Watch this space.”
In 2014, Nike released a beautiful ad titled “Ripple,” which illustrated Woods’ impact on McIlroy’s development. It remains as one of the best spots the company has ever produced.
