Tiger's back, but will he bring his A-game?

butchharmon. you mention the masters in 2013..hitting the pin didn't cost him two shots...it cost him four shots. had he missed the flag with his 6iron at worst he would have made birdie...with great chance of eagle...he took 8as you recall he choose to drop whe he played the last shot...was found to have made incorrect drop and two shot penalty was the result... so a possible 3or certain 4 became 8...when people talk about certainties missed...that's first off the list

Woods WAS the greatest golfer since Nicklaus. Has my vote as best dummy-spitter on tour. I agree with Sheek. Tigger believed his own promotional guff. Enormous talent, agreed, but spoiled by sense of entitlement. What a waste.

Who cares any more? A lot of people do. Tiger Woods is by far the greatest sports person I have ever seen (either live or on tv). Someone like Messi would be considered, but golf as an individual sport (as compared to a team sport) highlights the individuals mental strengths and weaknesses to a higher degree. What he does outside of the golf course? I don't care, I don't know him. As for discussing his golf (i.e. because it is a sports website and not women's weekly), his skill was a pleasure to witness.

I hope he comes back... interest in golf sky-rockets when this man plays. He is psychologically injured, worse than his physical ones. Hope he gets over it and brings his A-game to a Major.

You'd be incredibly naive to think that Tiger Wood's image as projected by his sponsors was ever going to be truthful. Anyone that had the privilege of merely being a spectator to witness him play could tell you the man was somewhat different in real life to his manufactured image. Doesn't change that he was an incredible golfer - maybe the best we've ever seen - at the peak of his powers. There are countless examples of athletes who were much admired by the public more so for their achievements on the field of play despite them being of dubious character. Maradona, Jimmy Connors, Greg Norman, Michael Jordan are just a few that spring to mind. Woods is not a cheat in the manner of Lance Armstrong - his achievements on the golf course are, as far as we know, legitimate. I'm interested in seeing if the guy can get it back. It's a good story. Do you know what else is a good story? A black man succeeding for two decades in a sport where all the odds were against him. Augusta had to change its rules just so Woods could play there. His career hasn't been a complete sham Sheek.

Woods is a quality golfer , which is good for him because he's not a quality bloke . Forget 2014 for him , battling injury he looked like a hack but we've forgotten too quickly that he won 5 times in 2013 . It was only a couple of years ago Rory was struggling then boom he has gone off in 2014 . You cant discount someone of his golfing ability/record in the coming years despite his age ,and lets face it 38 may be older in golfing circles but its still not old . Even Nicklaus won a major at 46 from memory . in recent years Norman went close at the British Open and Tom Watson almost won it in his sixties . At the masters in 2013 Tiger was unlucky . He hit a great chip to 13 on Saturday that hit the pin and ended up in the water. If that ball misses the pin it saves him 2 shots . He finished 2 shots out of the playoff between Adam Scott and Angel Cabrera . Life could be very different . While his days of domination may be gone his still a superb golfer who will no doubt find a streak , or two , in the future, I believe that will include at least 1 more major .

Good afternoon David, Short answer: "Who cares anymore?" Tiger lost me when he was caught out playing around with dozens of women behind his wife's back. Of course, that's for him to answer to his ex-wife, no-one else. If I was him & single, I would have been doing the same thing, I reckon. Emphasis on single. But the fall-out was the collapse of the carefully manicured, clean-cut, squeaky-clean image, poster boy, loving husband & father who sucked millions of people in parting with their money to buy products sponsored by Tiger's avaricious Corporate mates, & endorsed by him. There were a lot of people in on the clean-cut 'scam' ripping millions from innocents, God love 'em. Tiger was too good to be true. Indeed he was!

I'm not sure Tiger has the win at all costs focus and confidence in his game that he used to. He's taken a self inflicted battering over the last few years and his body has failed him. Like any older golfer I expect he'll get it together and find his old self in the odd tournament over the next few years and that will potentially land him another 2-3 majors. I'd back the open for being at least one of those. Fair chance he will leave the game just short of the Golden Bear. Everyone thinks about how far Woods could hit the ball in his prime and some of the amazing chips and wedges he's played over the years. But he is also possibly the best putter we've ever seen and that is what will get him a couple more majors. I read a stat once that woods had only missed 3 putts inside 3 ft on tour after turning pro - and that was a decade after turning pro.

Interesting to see how Scotty goes without Williams on the bag and more importantly in his ear.

Good questions David. Woods form of 2013, where he did everything but win a major leads me to think he's still the most capable golfer in the world - even more than Scott and McIlroy. Whether his back is going to be the thing that curls him is the issue for mine.