Tiger begins long road to redemption

The footy is over, the summer of cricket is yet to begin, and the Melbourne Cup has been stolen by the French. But if you’re sweating on the prospect of a few weeks without sports glorious distraction, don’t worry: our favourite philanderer is here.

Love him or hate him, Eldrick ‘Tiger’ Woods is set to ply his trade on Australian shores for the next couple of weeks, and before the gossip starts, it’s time to decide what side of the fence you’re on.

Aside from a couple of VIP events, the first time we will see Woods is playing the Australian Open at Sydney’s The Lakes next week. After that comes a return to where it all began – Melbourne – this time for the Presidents Cup at Royal Melbourne.

You may remember 2009, where at Kingston Heath he was mobbed by men, chased by women, and buzzed by helicopters on his way to the Australian Masters gold jacket, his last victory in two long years and probably his last happy memory.

It was straight after his win on the sandbelt that his philandering ways became global news.

It’s fashionable to side with Greg Norman on this one.

We love the Shark, and the Shark loves a headline. And so with part of his job as Presidents Cup International captain to drum up some media attention, Norman recently claimed that Woods would never win another major.

The number were on his side – Woods has dropped now to world number 56, is two years without a win, and this past week has reached a new low – he failed to qualify for China’s HSBC Champions, a WGC event.

Woods had traditionally made WGC events his own. He won 16 of the first 40 to be staged since they began in 1999. When world number one Luke Donald pulled out of the Champions, organisers instead were forced to offer the place to Ben Crane.

A great player in his own right, but surely not Tiger’s equal? Well, that’s true. Crane is ranked 5 places above Woods.

Yep, Tiger didn’t just fail to win, he failed to qualify.

The elite field was deemed too elite for him. Time to turn the screws. Forget the 4 majors he needs to equal Jack Nicklaus, he won’t even win another one.

So if you are like Norman, and want to decry Woods chances of ever winning another major, you’d be well supported.

But write Woods off at your own peril.

This season’s results are not just a result of the pressure of the public airing of his dirty laundry. There was the sacking of his swing coach Hank Haney, replaced with Sean Foley.

His long time caddie Steve Williams left to join forces with Adam Scott. And he’s battled with injuries to his leg and neck.

It easy for those standing on the sidelines of Woods’ life to point and laugh at his decline, both on and off the course. There are those, however, who actually have an insight into his mindset, and, more importantly, his form.

They say it’s just a matter of time before we see that familiar red Nike shirt at the 72nd hole.

Arjun Atwal is Woods’ regular practice partner. He says the 14 time major winner is very close to his best. Ian Baker Finch plays with Woods as well and claims regular competitive golf will bring back the old spark.

I tend to agree.

Woods has had a tough run, but he is still fighting, and for a decade he was the world’s best. He will rise again, maybe not this summer, but soon.

Don’t forget, Nicklaus won his last major – the 1986 US Masters – at 46 years old. Tiger will be 36 on December 30th. That’s 40 more major attempts if he stays fit.

He will win another major, and when he does, it will be followed by more. Let’s hope he can start down that road with a strong showing in Australia.