Is Tiger out of the Woods? That would be the best comeback story

"I’ll be back”. That is one of my favourite movie quotes, uttered by action hero figure Arnold Schwarzenegger in the science fiction film Terminator II as a ‘promise’ to some officer at a police station.

The former movie star, then playing the part of a semi-artificial human being with exceptional abilities to mete out violence, returns with guns blazing to unleash mayhem as he successfully extracts a woman who holds the key to the survival of the human race.

In the end – you guessed it – the world survives thanks to the heroic acts of Schwarzenegger.

I have always liked comeback stories, especially sports ones. Comebacks in sports capture our imagination and remain indelible in our memories. There is something so captivating about seeing an athlete or team that apears down and out rising up to great achievement.

For me, the most endearing comebacks are those of sports persons confronted by tragedy, personal misfortunes or indiscretions, whose careers appear to be over, only for them to recapture their place on the pedestal of stardom.

The great US cyclist Lance Armstrong returned from debilitating testicular cancer that required brain and testicular surgery and extensive chemotherapy to win seven Tour de France titles in a row.

Here in Kenya, I can think of Dennis Mwanja. He tore his knee ligaments early last decade, at the peak of his rugby career, went through surgery and almost a year of rehab before coming back to reclaim his Kenya sevens position.

Another rugby great, Lawrence Dellaglio, was sensationally dropped as the England captain in 1999 amidst accusations of using and dealing in hard drugs. All looked lost for the tough back row but he weathered the storm to win the 2003 World Cup with England. He was reappointed skipper in 2004.

Life began to crumble

I always look at the return of basketball star Kobe Bryant with amazement. In 2003, the LA Lakers superstar was considered the best basketball player ever, after the great Michael Jordan. Perhaps the best. But that year he was accused of raping a 19-year-old hotel employee.

We don’t know if he did it or not as the case was dropped. But the accusations cost Bryant his reputation, endorsements and superstar status. He had a rocky patch as many shunned him. But he was back to what he did best, leading the Lakers to the NBA finals in 2008.

Were it to occur, however, the greatest comeback would be that of Tiger Woods. The (former?) golf star’s life began to crumble in 2009 when a mysterious night car accident in front of his home triggered a shocking scandal of extramarital affairs. Woods lost his marriage, his golf and his money, and his story appeared to have been written.

But no, not yet: this week he was all over the news for winning the Chevron World Challenge. Never mind that this was not even a regular PGA Tour event, but the media almost went into a frenzy announcing that he was back.

Well, this was Woods’s first win in 749 days, and it moved the 36-year-old former undisputed world number one from a lowly position 52 to a respectable 21 in the world rankings. Woods is yet to win a Major since his 2008 US Open triumph. A Major ... now that would be the ultimate sports comeback story, better than any a movie could invent.