Tiger Woods

Despite his epic personal meltdown a couple years ago, Tiger Woods remains a major force in golf and throughout all of sports. This was reaffirmed by his final round 62 at the PGA National. While its easy to talk about Tiger's moral insufficiency, I'll keep this post limited to his golf swing and physical abilities. 
Tiger, like no one before him, changed the sport in which he excelled.  Within the course of 4-6 months golf, which was once seen as an ''overweight man's game'' or not really for ''athletes'', was thrust into the spotlight by Tiger's physical fitness, workout routines and commitments to exercise.  The golf swing itself was transformed from a linear movement to a torsional force, which is directed around the spine and unloaded on the ball.  This, in concert with an explosion in technology forever changed the game.  Today's top golfers are lean, fit and well conditioned athletes that put their counterparts from 30 years ago to shame. 

Tiger was one of the first pro golfer to use a full-time physical therapist.  He underwent extensive physical therapy after his left knee injury.  His personal therapist, Keith Kleven, has also been involved in the1984 Olympic Games and the United States Boxing team.. He was also Mike Tyson’s and Larry Holmes’ therapist/trainer for 8 years.