He's Back

Make no mistake about it, he is back. Forget about two bogies on the last two holes of a major to almost lose the tournament. Forget about the amazing shot on 16. Forget about 7 straight birdies. Forget about the opening day 74. Forget about his wife. Forget about Phil. Forget about Ernie. Forget about Vijay.

The Tiger is back.

When Tiger Wood’s dominated the game of golf in 2000-2002, it wasn’t because he could hit the ball farther than anyone. It wasn’t his ability to knock down 10 footers at will. It wasn’t that he was shattering tournament records. It was his mind. It was intimidation. And the Tiger got it back on Sunday. Tiger won his 9th major with a terrible Sunday performance by Tiger standards. But he still did it. When it really mattered, Tiger hit a bullet 3 wood down the fairway, a safe but solid shot into 18 green, and a screaming putt, that happened to be center cut. No one but Tiger can do those things, and everyone on tour knows it. That is what separated Tiger from Robotic Vijay, Amazing shot maker Phil, and the Big Easy. And they all knew it too. No one wants to be in the final group playing Tiger on Sunday.

He had lost a bit of that intimidation. People thought Tiger had lost a step after getting married. Younger guys could hit it farther, and straighter. Vijay took the #1 spot, Ernie finished second in almost every major last year. Phil finally got his. The playing field was even……not so fast.

Tiger has what the greats have. The one thing that separates them from everyone else, the desire to win to go along with the talent. Jordan, Magic, Farve, Gretsky, …….Nicklaus. These guys had the talent to win, and would do whatever it took to get there. Tiger has it. If you saw his reaction on 16 when he made that shot, it was not a fist pump, or a tip of the hat. He stared into his competitors eyes and let him know that he was there to win. No one else can put that fear into another player.

Can he break Jack’s records? Who knows. Can he win another major this year? Very likely. Is Tiger the favorite in every tournament he enters? Definitely.

Bring on Pinehurst, Bring on St. Andrews, Bring on Baltusrol. The Tiger is back.

JC