Reason for cheer? Cause for optimism? Sure. But let us not get too far ahead of ourselves.
Before we read another "Tiger's Back!" article, can we all take a step back and just enjoy today's golf landscape?
Tiger may, indeed, return to past form. He may regain the stroke that took him to the top of the world. In the end, he may catch or eclipse Jack Nicklaus' record of 18 major championships. But let's not kid ourselves ... Tiger will never be Tiger again.
The Tiger Woods of old struck fear in the hearts of those in the tournament. The fact that he was in the field was generally worth a stroke or two to the best player in the world. If he was in the mix on Sunday, the trophy was his by nightfall. No more.
The Tiger Woods of old had some competition - Phil Mickelson, David Duval and Vijay Singh come to mind. As great as those guys were, they each had some considerable flaws and/or demons that kept them from knocking Tiger off the top of the mountain.
Today's batch of young guns are different. Do you think Rory McIlroy, Keegan Bradley, Dustin Johnson, Jason Dufner or even de Jonge care about some old guy with failing knees? While they certainly battle their own nerves on Sunday - like any other golfer - if they play their game, they win. They don't hand over those imaginary "homage"strokes to Tiger.
Tiger may fire a 67 and win going away today. He may shoot 74 and fade early. He may just hang around and lose by a single stroke. Who knows? What we do know is that he's a great golfer who has a chance to win (or lose) every time he tees it up.
If he does win ... Can we all agree to leave the "Tiger's Back!" headlines alone and just enjoy today?
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