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You can hear it now. It’s in the distance, but there nonetheless, and coming straight for you. The drumbeat is heavy and pounding like a mid-tempo metronome. His signature Nike is cresting over the hill; Tiger Woods has returned.
Scared?
Last week’s Buick Open at Torrey Pines marked the second PGA tour event Woods has played in this young 2005 season, finishing 3rd in the other. Though his performance was less than stellar, it was good enough to grant Woods his first tour victory among a legitimate field of contenders since 2003′s Western Open. A whole year went by without a fairway glaring, fist-pumping performance by the golf phenom. In fact, the last two years have seen Woods take home only $12.1 million in tour winnings, a far cry from his previous three-year streak of being golf’s number one money earner.
2004 wasn’t only disappointing for Woods, it was also embarrassing. Forget barely being in contention on any weekend the entire year – Woods had to deal with ongoing problems with ex-swing coach Butch Harmon. Harmon is regarded as the reason Woods did so well in his first seven seasons as a tour professional. Since canning Harmon, Woods has struggled with his swing and become frustrated with a year’s worth of sub-par performances.
But last year is behind us, and it’s apparent that it’s behind Tiger as well. He is slightly leaner and apparently laying off the weights a bit, perhaps to help his body relax and retain more energy for his powerful swing.
Woods will forever have support from the majority of fans, dashing to a victory so early in the season only increases the fanatical attention that is sure to shadow Woods through the summer.
Watching his four rounds at Torrey Pines evoked flashes of the old Tiger. At the Buick, Tiger hit slightly under 50 percent of the fairways, but controlled his driver well. He missed nearly one-third of his greens in regulation, but not as erratically as in 2004. And then there was Tiger’s short game; a staple in Woods’ repertoire since his Junior Golf days. Woods was second both in total puts and average puts per green over the entire weekend. His putting was so consistent that it led him to an all-to-familiar, come-from-behind Sunday victory.
Those fortunate enough to have their 2005 tour cards are faced with the unfortunate fact that Tiger Woods is back on his game. It may be too early to predict two Major victories for Woods this season, but it will happen. He looks confident and when he’s confident, his results can be very scary. Almost as scary as that creeping drumbeat.
If you look now, Tiger’s eyes and the collar of his traditional Sunday red garb can be seen over the hill. He’s marching, straight-faced, staring down the competition. The look says it all. He’s back, he’s fit and he’s still only 29 years old. 2005 belongs to Tiger Woods.
