Aside from Jordan Spieth’s historic feat at the Masters, the biggest story in golf at the moment is the resurgence of Tiger Woods.
Before the Masters, Woods has been nowhere in sight. He was reported to be taking some time from the sport and fans had doubts whether he was fit enough, mentally and physically, to compete in the first major tournament of the year.
In fact, being inactive for months had taken toll on his ranking. For the first time since 1996, he was out of the top 100 in world rankings following his withdrawal from the Farmers Insurance Open in February due to another back injury.
But Woods surprised many when he showed up at Augusta, where he was a four-time winner, looking ready to again be a formidable force.
While 21-year-old Spieth was dominating the tournament with a remarkable display of authority, it was Woods who was making waves with a solid performance.
Although many would say Woods has finally charged back into game, he still needs a lot of hard work to be able to return to his old form.
“I have a little time off and go back to the drawing board, work on it again, and refine what I’m doing. I really like what I’m doing, I got my distance back, and everything is good,” Woods said as reported by the Agence France Presse.
“No one knows how hard we had to work to get to this point, but I’m very pleased. This is my first tournament back, being a major championship, and to give myself a chance, it felt good.”
Woods’ strong Masters showing could be a sign of his re-emergence. His resurgence is not only a welcome development for his fans, it is also generally good for the sport he once pushed to greater heights.
As injuries and diminishing form gravely sidelined Woods, younger players headed by Rory McIlroy took centre stage and are now dominating the sport. But it’s still hard to write off the 14-time major winner who had been the face of the sport for the past two decades.
Of course, Woods is still undeniably golf’s most bankable star. A tournament without his presence is bound to suffer low gate receipts and television ratings.
During the Masters, Nielsen reported that Woods pushed television ratings upward by 48 per cent and 26 per cent during the last two rounds.
Now, based on his solid Masters performance, has Woods got his groove back?
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