J. Ross: I Believe That Tiger Is Back, Even If You Don’t
Jul 24, 2018, 12:00 AM | Updated: Jan 4, 2019, 11:31 am
(Photo by Francois Nel/Getty Images)
What does the definition of “Tiger is Back” even mean? If for you it means that he has to win a major then the answer is no, he is not back. I believe there is much more to that question though. Tiger has not won a major in over a decade. He came very close this past weekend at the British Open. Tiger’s first two rounds were even par. He made a charge on Saturday with a 5 under par march up the leader board. He still had work to do however on Sunday. For a moment he captured the sports world’s imagination with a lead on the final day in his familiar winning Sunday red. Tiger could not hold the lead but this left us all wanting more. He was so close, and that is my point. I believe he is back because of how far he has to come.
There have been 41 majors played since Tiger last won a major. In that span, 31 different tour players make up the list of the 41 major wins. In the 41 majors played before that, Tiger Woods won 13 of his 14 majors and 23 people hoisted trophies, or donned jackets in that time that Tiger was crushing it. It is so difficult to win any tournament. Tiger helped to raise the bar. Dustin Johnson is the world’s number one golfer. He has 1 major, he missed the cut this past weekend at the British Open. Golf is hard. I think we are all a little guilty of measuring Tiger to that amazing run from 1997 to 2008 where there was no doubt that he was the best on the planet.
I think a little reminder needs to be thrown out there as to where Tiger had fallen. Since his last tour win in 2013 Tiger has been through a lot. He has had multiple surgeries and many questioned if he would ever play again. In 2014 he had zero top 10 finishes. In 2015 he had just 1 top 10 finish and that was 10th. He did not play in 2016 and last year played in just one tournament and missed the cut. So from 2014 to 2017 he missed 7 cuts when he has missed 25 over his entire career. So that takes us to 2018. Tiger has played in 12 tournaments which is the most since 2013 and it is only July. Tiger is finishing tournaments, he is healthy and he is moving up the rankings. Tiger has 8 top 25 finishes this season, 4 top 10’s with a 6th place, 5th place, 4th, and 2nd place finish. He is now 44th in the Fed Ex Cup Standings and has made over 2 million this season. The ratings were fabulous this weekend all because of Tiger. His impact is amazing and the fact that people care and are fascinated to watch the climb tells me that he is back. Once again it is difficult to win tournaments, he is not the same that he once was, but I still believe he can be as good once as he ever was. I think the wins, yes wins, are coming, and if they don’t I still am appreciating the climb and the comeback. Go Tiger!