Feature: He's Back

So he’s back.....I wonder what all the haters and the doubters were thinking last night or even more so this morning when it dawned upon them again that Tiger Woods is back at the summit of professional golf.

A man who two years ago was down and out, “he won’t ever be back to his best” they said, “he won’t win on tour again, he’s finished” they said and yet here he is, in only the third month of the year he’s waking up to a third victory already this season and more importantly to the realisation that he is again World number one.

Tiger is arguably the greatest player to grace the fairways and not one cynic out there can deny that. I know the best of them will come back to the argument that he has never lived up to his talents in a Ryder Cup or a Presidents Cup but that doesn’t matter. Golf is not a team sport, apart from three days every year you are on your own and this is where he excels, this is where he is so dominant because of his own self belief in his own ability.

Selfish? No, Not every sport is team orientated and I can even argue that this makes him more of a champion as it’s him against the World, if he doesn’t win; he considers it a failure which sets him apart mentally from half the field teeing it up at that event to start with.

You hear of players turning to psychologists to help them prepare mentally and how to handle the pressure of winning or indeed how to win but listening to the ‘experts’ is one thing, listening to the professionals is another. They all say unless you’ve been there and done it you don’t know what it’s like. This is extremely important in the psyche of Tiger Woods as he knows; in fact he demands it of himself that he beats everyone else.

Back to Form

I have no doubt that his success this year and his return to form is because he has his life away from the course back on track. It’s no secret that his world fell apart when news of his indiscretions became that of World opinion which then led to some of his sponsors leaving him, all that on top of two knee surgeries he had in the space of two years. I think what a lot of people forget as well is that during his slump he tried everything to halt it. He tried to change his game, changed coach and caddies two or three times but never once did he hide from what he did.

But for now he is happy. Happy in his new relationship, happy in his coach and caddy and boy is it showing. There is no doubt in my mind that he will win a major this year and possibly not just one. He’ll go into the Masters as overwhelming favourite and rightly so, four green jackets to his name already at a course he admits is one of his favourites. No victory at Augusta since 2005 though will spur him on to add to his 14 other major championship and another step closer to the record of 18 held by Jack Nicklaus.

In Numbers

Ever since a young Tiger exploded on the scene in dominant fashion in 1997 his stats are mind incredible. Even if you question and argue his greatness his numbers don’t lie.

After claiming his 77^th PGA Tour win, his 8^th alone at the Bay Hill Invitational where he wins 47% of the time he plays, Tiger has won three out of his last four stroke play starts, that’s six wins in his last 20 starts on tour and his first back-to-back victory since the Buick Open and Bridgestone Invitational back in 2009.

He has won 52 times when leading or being tied for the lead on tour, 12 times wire-to-wire, 24 times he’s defended a championship, spent the most consecutive and cumulative weeks atop the world rankings, he’s been the PGA Tour player of the year ten times, won the money list nine times and the only player ever to hold all four majors at one time, thus being known as the ‘Tiger Slam.

I could go on with his achievements and the records he’s set seem to be endless but golf is evolving every minute. Newer and more high tech gear is sending the game into over drive but one thing that does remain is the talent of Tiger Woods.

It’s been 124 weeks since he was looking down at everyone else. In that time four Europeans have held the mantle which proves that golf is more competitive now than it ever used to be. With Tiger being back at the top only proves that everyone around him has to work even harder to get up to the standard that he sets himself every week. I saw a comment from Ian Poulter last night congratulating him on his return to the top but also said ‘It’s time to chase Tiger again’. Thus proving that even the professionals had no doubt he would soon be back.

It was always the grand old question when Westwood, Donald and Mcllroy were at the helm, “I wonder who would win if Tiger was still at his best”?

Well time to find out, but a word of caution... never approach a wounded Tiger as you never know what will happen.