As we enter Masters week, the question everyone is asking is whether Tiger Woods can finally win his 15th major championship, his first since he won the US Open at Torrey Pines in 2008. If he were to win this week, he would pull within three majors of Jack Nicklaus for the most all time.
A couple of weeks ago, when Tiger withdrew from the WGC-Cadillac championship with an Achilles strain, his chances of playing for the green jacket seemed unlikely. At that time, people wondered how serious the injury to his Achilles was, and if he would ever win another major championship.
Of course, Woods would bounce back in typical Tiger-like fashion by winning his next tournament, the Arnold Palmer Invitational, just a week after he walked off the course at Doral. After his first official PGA Tour victory in two and half years, Woods was immediately tabbed as the favorite at Augusta by odds-makers all over the world.
Woods is not complacent with his win at the Arnold Palmer. He knows he must use his off week before the Masters to remain sharp.
“I still need some work, and it's going to be good to get a week off and work on a few things,” Woods said. “I enjoyed the progression we made this week. Each day, there was a little bit of fine tuning here and there, and we were able to make those adjustments, which was good, and especially with the conditions getting more difficult on the weekend. I was able to hit some really good shots the last two days, and that's a very good sign going into Augusta.”
While Woods’ win at Bay Hill was impressive and certainly necessary considering he was suffering through his longest winning drought as a professional, it wasn’t a cure-all. His one win doesn’t signify that he will regain the dominance he displayed before the personal scandal that derailed his career and ended his marriage.
If Woods’ ultimate goal is to regain the form he displayed before his infidelity, then his win was nothing more than a positive step in the right direction. It was important, though, because now Tiger’s confidence is sky-high at exactly the right time thanks to his win at Bay Hill. The Arnold Palmer Invitational isn’t a major, but it’s an important non-major tournament against a field that featured most of the top players in the world.
If Woods can continue his torrid play at this week’s Masters, especially on a golf course that he knows so well, than he will certainly be in contention late Sunday afternoon. The key for Tiger is his putter, if he can avoid three-putting, not easy on Augusta’s slick greens, and make the occasional birdie, he can compete with anyone.
Woods, who moved to No. 6 in the world after his win at the Arnold Palmer, knows Augusta National like the back of his hand. He knows exactly where to position his ball on every hole to be successful and knows what areas of the course to flat out avoid. If he’s leading or near the lead on Sunday afternoon, everyone knows the moment won’t be too great for him. In fact, he probably would feel more relaxed than any of the other contenders.
There’s no question Tiger feels comfortable competing in this tournament on this golf course. People forget Woods has finished fourth in this tournament the previous two years while not playing nearly as well as he is now.
That’s not to say he’s head and shoulders above everyone else and should be a lock to win his fifth green jacket Sunday afternoon. The talent pool has never been deeper, and with current No. 1 and last year’s US Open winner Rory McIlroy, three-time Masters winner Phil Mickelson, former No. 1 Luke Donald and 2010 U.S. Open winner Graeme McDowell all competing in this year’s tournament, Tiger will not cruise to victory like he has in previous majors.
This week’s Masters will be an important measuring stick in Woods’ return to glory in professional golf. If Woods wins, he not only will collect his fifteenth major, but he’ll finally end his nearly four year absence from the major winner’s circle. There’s no guarantee that Woods will win this week’s Masters, but there’s no doubt that if Woods is in serious contention Sunday afternoon, there will be plenty of televisions tuned in.