Posted on 04/10/2011 6:01:55 PM PDT by SeekAndFind
AUGUSTA, Ga. -- There first needs to be a simple, declarative statement to settle something once and for all, an answer to a question that's been asked for days, if not months. The statement is this: Tiger Woods is back.
He is. It's official. He didn't win the Masters, but after a courageous, almost history-making performance, it's impossible not to declare the career of Woods reinvigorated from the waitress-chasing dead.
Everything was present. The charge was there. He made up seven shots in eight holes, including an eagle on eight that led to the loudest roar of the weekend. Check. Some early leaders began to fall apart once Woods closed in. Check. Rory McIlroy had a bit of premature coronation, Jean Van De Velde-ing into people's lawns. Check, check, check.
McIlroy's falter was Woods’ gain. Woods caused McIlroy to panic. No question about it.
The caddy for Woods' playing partner shook Woods' hand at the conclusion of Woods' stunning round of 67 and said to Woods: "You're back."
You're back. Yes, he is. He is.
With all due respect to winner Charl Schwartzel, it was Woods who was the biggest story of the Masters despite finishing tied for fourth and four shots back with a 278.
You had to see it in person to understand. On the course, the gallery was throaty and chaotic. People could barely contain themselves as Woods made his run. Woods was fist-pumping again. His attitude was nasty again. Some of the staff at Augusta -- those who cook the food and empty the trash -- were mesmerized, sneaking a peak at the large television screen in the press room to watch Woods.
It's possible there hasn't been such emotion for a player who didn't win in the history of the Masters.
(Excerpt) Read more at cbssports.com ...
The rest of the field has caught up and surpassed Tiger, he is still a Top-Ten golfer, but maybe he’ll win one or two tournaments a year, but that’s it.
Tiger had NEVER won a major from behind.
B.S.!! The biggest stories...were 8 or 9 guys tied at 10 under near the end. The biggest stories were the young Aussie guns. The biggest stories was the great golf played by all the 10......
The biggest story was how Schwartzel...played.
CBS, and all the alphabet soup dudes...wanted Woods to be "THE STORY".....but he wasn't the biggest!
He fizzled....period. CBS and the rest of the sports world continue to try to inflate his every move, but he has shown his vulnerability, and there are dozens of pro golfers now who can beat him. His physical appearance betrays his previous appearance, when drugs pumped him up, and his psyche was such that even HE thought he could not lose. Only those with White Guilt are trying to save the Great Black Hope......
Have to agree... Tiger is past his prime, if not physically, for other reasons. He is and has become an immoral golfer and will never gain the popularity that he once had. I (for one) can not watch him without thinking about his actions regarding his beautiful wife and children.
I’m sure that I’m not alone here but more succinctly, he feels the same and will never regain his greatness (and he shouldn’t)... He made his bed and he will lie in in - probably no more majors and very few wins in his waning years. He has made his future and now he must live it!
I must say that for his past actions, the future holds little for him...
The same could be said of Ali and Michael Jordan.
Tiger is overhyped, (not overrated).
The analysts all say that the tournament begins on the back nine on Sunday.
Tiger’s back nine today was ordinary at best.
Schwartzel’s string of birdies on the final four holes to win the Masters was absolutely incredible.
The authors assertion that the young man from Northern Ireland folded because he was intimidated by Woods is absolute BS in my opinion.
I agree, the putting shows he is not ‘back.’ He’s a hell of a lot closer after Friday and today’s showing. He has continued uncharacteristic putting since his domestic issues, and when we see that fall into place, he’ll be winning again.
Of course that eagle didn’t hurt him any.
The rest of the field has caught up, there won’t be a dominant player, maybe ever again. Just look how many good players there are now outside of the US. In fact, it may very well be Tiger’s legacy that he made the game more popular in the rest of the world, and we’re now seeing the emergence of those players.
IMHO, it was one of the best Master’s or Professional tournaments I’ve seen. The last 5 holes could have been won by any 10-15 players there.
I was surprised there wasn’t a 5 player playoff.
“Tiger had NEVER won a major from behind.”
Exactly. I think the article has it right. I think he’s back.
Tiger, at one time, was 7 up on his round. He finished 3rd. For a player that’s struggled these past 17 mos. or so, that’s one hell of a feat. No, he didn’t win, but it has to be a shot in the arm for him.
I wanted to see him win. Not for Tiger, but for America. He was the only American besides Bo Van Pelt who came close to the final finish. That’s the disgusting fact. All you people who want to diss Tiger, think about that.
People claim Tiger’s putting cost his game, but he was making some 30 ft putts up hill and curved putts on very slick greens, with the ball stopping within a couple of inches of the cup with proper stroke and half the greens were mottled with dead turf.
With that much play and traffic, the greens themselves probably weren’t true.
IMHO, all the top 10 players played very good back nine games.
Even when McIroy triple bogied, his punch shot from between the houses was a superb comeback.
Luke’s 18th approach was incredible from his lay.
What would have been your finish in the Masters? No, don't tell me you're not a golfer, or in that league. You want to criticize, criticize based on your ability. He finished at 10 under when he was far below that going into the round. And he was the ONLY American in the hunt. Or don't you care about that?
The MSSM wants so badly for this to be be true. It isn’t.
Very true about the rest of the field. Tiger set a new precedent and we now see a slew of very athletic players..and from all over the world. I am not so sure we won’t see dominant players again, because that is something that only happens once in a great while anyway. I suspect if we do, it will be for shorter windows of a few years, rather than the two decades at a time we saw from Jack, Tiger and others before them. It is rare to have a single person so dominant anyway, and now the talent level is becoming that much higher.
That said, I still suspect we’ll see at some point another run from Tiger over a few years. Not like when he was younger, but I suspect he’ll win at least one or two majors in a year at least one more time. I still think he’ll get 19, but much less certain than two years ago.
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