It has been nearly three weeks since the PGA Championship ended, and those who saw the enthralling final round were privy to a moment that will stay in the memory of many golf fans for a long time. No, the incident didn’t involve the winner of the championship, Brooks Koepka, who effortlessly marched to victory that day, producing a nerveless round of golf. The event took place just after Woods had completed his final round with a trademark birdie finish on the final hole. As Woods strode across the bridge in back of the 18th green, thousands of fans gathered underneath to deliver a passionate outpouring of emotion and admiration.

“Look at this. A sea of St. Louis golf enthusiasts.” -Jim Nantz.

What a week for Tiger Woods and for the city of St. Louis. pic.twitter.com/AApdz1Imwe

— Talking Schmidt Podcast (@TheTSPod) August 12, 2018

Despite not winning the event, it felt like Woods was the champion that day. The show of appreciation, love and support that Woods received following his final round of 64 that evening was evidence of that. Golf’s only superstar had toiled for five years, suffering setback after setback with a run of back injuries that looked sure to put a premature end to his career. Throughout that period, and despite being unable to play to a fraction of his abilities, Woods still carried the crowds anytime he teed it up.  Despite how grim the situation appeared, Woods’ fans stayed with their man, continuing to show nothing but encouragement and support for the struggling star. So when the American exited the 18th green in St. Louis just over a fortnight ago, the Missouri crowd gave him a fitting reception. The defiance and determination that Woods had shown in those five years, through four back surgeries, was evident at that moment. Woods had achieved something extraordinary, and the St. Louis fans that day did everything to show not only how overjoyed they were but how proud he should be of himself.

So it should have come as no surprise that some of the highest profile names in sports media lauded the moment and Woods’ display on that Sunday. Skip Bayless, from Fox Sports, said that he can now see him winning a couple more major championships. Stephen A. Smith, from ESPN, called him sensational. Golf Channel’s Brandel Chamblee now believes that this comeback from Woods is the greatest in the sport’s history. Doug Gottlieb, who was Colin Cowherd’s stand-in the day after the event on The Herd said that “Tiger won yesterday.” The list can go on, with the praises being endless, and rightly so because what Woods has achieved this year has been nothing short of remarkable.

What these high profile media analysts seem to be forgetting, however, is their accountability. Almost every sports analyst for the past five years has taken a ruthless approach to attack and attempt to humiliate Woods over this period. However, the reasons that they listed for his demise were very rarely the state of his deteriorating back. They scavenged and scraped at the very bottom of the barrel for a plethora of reasons why golf’s biggest draw was now a shell of his former self, and while they did so, they did the ultimate disservice to Woods in not believing that his back was ever as bad as he said it was.

Woods first began to suffer greatly with his back in 2013. He had won five times that year and was in the hunt at the Barclays, at Liberty National, standing in the middle of the fairway of a par-5 ready to attack. What happened next was the beginning of a miserable period for Woods, who dropped to his knees in agony, barely able to pick himself off the ground from the pain reverberating through his back. Skip Bayless, however, felt Woods was being dramatic and questioned whether he was hurt at all, calling him “the biggest diva in sports” and that his fall in pain at that moment “looked suspicious,” which gathered some laughs from those in the studio that day.

Two years on from this moment, Bayless, then knowing full well the extent of Woods’ back issues decided to once again brush over this fact. After Woods shot 80 in the opening round at Chambers Bay, Bayless said it was a disgrace to see golf’s greatest ever playing like this. Disgraceful that Woods was afflicted with severe back issues? Of course not. Bayless continued stating he should go back to his ex-coach Butch Harmon or go home. To Bayless, Woods’ fragile back has never been real; it’s always been a case of mental and swing issues.

Stephen A. Smith’s criticism of Woods was more personal and even more uninformed. Smith, who had supported Woods throughout his dominant days turned sour on him as soon as he could no longer function properly on the golf course. In 2017, Smith blamed his demise on his personal affairs scandal dating as far back as 2009. Smith described him as being “finished,” without mentioning his string of back injuries. Smith referenced Tiger’s new attitude on the golf course and pally relationship with his current peers as evidence of him losing his killer instinct. At no point, while stating this, did either his colleague or host remind him that Woods won five times in 2013 and would be player of the year before his back issues began.

When there looked to be no way back for Tiger Woods just over a couple of years ago, Colin Cowherd made the strange statement that he would take Phil Mickelson’s career ahead of Tiger’s. In 2017, Jemele Hill, a former Sportscenter analyst, said that the next statement Tiger should release is “I’m retiring.” Brandel Chamblee has doubted Woods on many occasions. From believing that he had the yips, to stating he was “competitively finished” less than a year ago. Both were incorrect, and the reasoning of both opinions ignored Woods’ significant back issues, speculating primarily on his mental state.

These are a select sample because there are a multitude of high profile sports analysts who ignored the real reasons for Woods’ struggles, doing so because it suited their agenda. All are now fully back on board the Tiger Woods bandwagon, which is picking up speed all the time. The world of sports is so fast-moving that it’s effortless to say something outrageous one day, and for it to be forgotten the next. But it wasn’t difficult to remember much of the crude statements that these analysts had made regarding Woods. Analysts were certain that Woods would never return and that they could be as hard-hitting as they liked with the man. Instead of choosing to empathize with someone they once rooted for, they not only criticized him but they eviscerated him by doubting his integrity.

The reaction of these pundits after his week at Bellerive shows that they have no problem in locking all of their previous beliefs in a dark closet. While they doubted Woods’ sincerity in regards to his failing back, they have failed to take accountability for their ruthless and incorrect opinions over the last five years. However, I do not doubt that these people certainly do hope that this Woods revival does continue. It’s in their interest that he does perform, their ratings will improve, and it will save them from wasting their creativity on negative and controversial soundbites.

With a fused back and four back surgeries, Woods’ refusal to let go of his dreams in the face of a tornado of hurtful criticism is admirable, and it’s that hunger and perseverance that makes him the most popular golfer by a distance. He has risen from 656th in the world all the way to 26th in just eight months. While many wolves are still waiting for another fall from grace for Woods, that scene on Sunday at the PGA Championship was a wonderful reminder to him of the people that will always be there to support him on his trek towards Jack’s major record.