Tiger Woods Chokes Up Over Comeback Victory: 'I Just Can't Believe I Pulled This Off'

Tiger Woods roared to victory at the 2018 Tour Championship on Sunday, securing his 80th win after a five-year drought.

Speaking with NBC Sports after his victory at East Lake Golf Club in Atlanta, Woods became emotional when talking about the difficulties he’s experienced since his last win in 2013 at the WGC-Bridgestone Invitational.

“I just can’t believe I pulled this off after, you know, what the season’s gone through,” Woods said before pausing as he held back tears. “It’s been… it’s been tough. I’ve had a not so easy last couple of years.”

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Woods, who was widely considered the best golfer on the planet for much of his early career, struggled to capture that same brilliance over the last decade.

He has suffered numerous injuries throughout his career and has had operations on his ACL, knee and back that have caused him to pull out of numerous events — including in the middle of the Players Championship in 2011. In just the last five years, Woods has had four surgeries to his back alone.

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Then, there were the scandals that happened far from the golf course that seemingly contributed to his decline.

Woods’ infidelities came to light in November 2009, leading to his divorce from his then-wife Elin Nordegren. He would struggle after returning to golf following the revelations, and he did not claim another PGA victory until March 2012, a year before he started dating Olympian Lindsey Vonn before their breakup in 2015.

“I’ve worked my way back, and I couldn’t have done it without the help everyone around me,” Woods told NBC, likely referencing his girlfriend Erica Herman, among many other supporters.

“Some of the players I saw after the 18th green, some of them knew what I was struggling with and it was really special to see them there… It’s just really hard to believe I won the Tour Championship,” Woods said with a smile as excited fans cheered for him in the background.

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In a separate interview with ESPN, Woods talked about his young children — son Charlie Axel, 9½, and daughter Sam Alexis, 11 — and what his victory on Sunday would mean to them.

“I think they understood, a little bit more at the Open Championship this year, when they saw me take the lead. They felt that rush and that buzz in the gallery, and the people talking and the excitement,” Woods said about his kids, who were not present at the Atlanta tournament.

“They’d never seen that or experienced that or felt it… I think they’re able to remember this day and this moment, and especially the process,” he said.

Woods continued: “For a long time, they equated golf to, ‘Dad’s hurting more.’ So [they’d say], ‘Dad, don’t try and play, don’t try and practice, ’cause you’ll be in more pain’… Now they’re starting to see the joy that I get from it, and I think they’re starting to really enjoy it because of [that] as well.”