Regaining focus after losing a loved one to cancer is a tough thing for anyone. Last month Professional golfer Tiger Woods missed his first ever cut in a major championship at the US Open following the loss of his father Earl Woods to prostate cancer on May 3. Tiger regained his focus one month later to win the British Open today.

Mourning for someone you have cared for and loved is a necessary part of feeling better again and continuing with your own life. You will often experience emotions of intense sadness and despair, or it may be hard to believe that the person has really died. You may feel that crying is a sign of weakness, or that you are falling apart but grieving is the way we begin to heal ourselves, just as an injury needs time to heal.

With an emotional breakdown of tears on the finishing hole, Tiger Woods wept openly in the arms of his caddy Steve Williams. This was his first victory since his father's death and some critics questioned whether Woods could regain the focus needed to stay on top of the rankings in the professional golf world. Watching the British Open on television and seeing the final shot by Tiger filled my eyes with tears to know the pain this man felt while winning such a glorious title in golf without the presence of the father that has stood by him his whole career. But he regained his stance at the top of the world rankings and keeps the focus that was taught to him by his father Earl Woods.

"After the last putt, I realized my dad's never going to see this again, and I wish he could have seen this one last time," Woods said at the trophy presentation. "He was out there today keeping me calm. I had a very calm feeling the entire week, especially today."

Tiger Woods now has three British Open titles, the same as Jack Nicklaus, and his victory at Hoylake carried another comparison. The first major Nicklaus won after his father died in 1970 also was the British Open.

We are saddened to announce Earl Woods has lost his battle with cancer. Tiger Woods has issued a profoundly moving statement about his father here.

Tiger Woods may not defend his title at The Masters in two weeks. It depends on how Earl Woods, his father, who is battling prostate cancer, is fairing. Earlier this week, Tiger Woods walked away from the final practice round at the Players Championship to be with his father, who is credited with nurturing the extraordinary golfing talent of his son, Tiger Woods. Tiger came back to be in the Players Championship at the request of his father. According to newspaper reports, sportscasters and fans, Tiger Woods looks weary, and sounds uncertain about his future plans.

Woods is paired with his friend, Darren Clarke, whose wife, Heather, is battling cancer. "Actually, today the best thing was probably to have a pairing with Darren," Woods said. "Everyone knows Darren is kind of struggling with the same thing. We were talking about it all day." Clarke waved off an interview request after hitting balls on the range.

"It puts things in perspective," Woods said. "You hit a bad shot, and you want to get upset with yourself because you know you can hit better shots, but in the whole scheme of things, it's just a golf shot."

May 03. 2006 Update: Tiger Woods loses father to cancer.