Tiger flashes signs of the old Tiger
Article by Jcinta
Is Tiger back? Is the golf world fearing him once more? Is Tiger’s TaylorMade Burner Superfast Fairway Wood weirdly dysfunctional, as evidenced by poor putting on Saturday? Why, if Tiger is back, was he on the business end of the worst Presidents Cup loss ever – 7 and 6 – with his buddy, Steve Stricker? Why did Tiger putt so well against Baddeley on Sunday? Was it the tip he said he got from Stricker, or does he thrive more in singles as opposed to team golf? How vindicated was Fred Couples for choosing Tiger as a captain’s pick? How badly did Greg Norman look for questioning the pick while getting served his lunch on the International’s home course?And what was with Geoff Ogilvy and Charl Schwartzel sporting those mustaches?TaylorMade Burner Superfast Fairway Wood If you want symmetry, Australia may fittingly be the boomerang spot for Tiger’s career. If he is back, and 2012 is one of those six-win/two-major landmark years for Tiger, history will note that his last successful showing, pre-Escalade-into-a-fire-hydrant, was a win at the Australian Masters in 2009.After that win, the National Enquirer got involved, and things got squirrelly.Two years later, ranked 50th in the world instead of No. 1, he stirred chatter with a near-win (third place) at the Australian Masters. Tiger then came to Royal Melbourne and displayed his finest, most consistent ball-striking since the unfortunate events of Thanksgiving 2009.Australia: Tiger’s Lourdes?TaylorMade Burner Superfast Fairway Wood Before we start planning April’s green-jacket fitting, it must be noted that one year ago, amid turmoil, Tiger waxed Francesco Molinari, 4 and 3, in the 2010 Ryder Cup. There is something about match play in a singles format that brings out the bloodthirsty beast in Tiger, damaged knee or not, shredded reputation or not.And there is the nettlesome matter of Tiger’s work on the putting greens in Day 3’s fourball match, when he whiffed on 11 birdie tries inside 15 feet. Oh-for-11! The old Tiger would have made nine, and been heated that he missed the other two. If four days of consistent play is what will win Tiger tournaments in 2012 – he remains winless since that ’09 Aussie Masters, back before the iPad even existed – then the entirety of his four-day run at Royal Melbourne (2-3) shows he may still be lacking.And yet, after Woods disposed of Baddeley – in a manner so efficient and bloodless, it called to mind a man clearing a table and loading the dishwasher – there was something to the way his teammates mobbed him after, with spirited hugs and high-fives, and something to the way Tiger happily received the TaylorMade Burner Superfast Fairway Wood . It was almost a “welcome back” party.Even though the Return of Tiger to top-flight competition means everybody’s job gets harder, their team-wide embrace of the erstwhile world No. 1 maybe meant they knew three things: 1. Golf is better when Tiger is on the TV, hitting great shots; 2. Purses stay big and lucrative when Tiger attracts ratings; and; 3. In his Tiger 2.0 state, the fear factor of 1997-2009 has dissipated, and guys like Webb Simpson and Hunter Mahan and Nick Watney can play Sundays without needing a diaper.Even Johnny Miller, who usually sharpens his fangs for moments like these, sounded impressed by Tiger’s flush golf shots. “If he can get putting again,” Miller said, “watch out.” Of course, that’s the thing. There’s no guarantee – or lasting evidence – that Tiger Woods can ever again putt like, well, Tiger Woods.And the fact is, Tiger only scored two points as a captain’s pick, outpointed by seven teammates, even though he played all five TaylorMade Burner Superfast Fairway Wood . But statistics can deceive, and Tiger received little help from wayward partner Dustin Johnson in a couple of those matches, and from an ailing Stricker in their embarrassing beatdown at the hands of K.J. Choi, Adam Scott and – oh, yeah – caddie Steve Williams.
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