Is Tiger Woods Really Back?

Anyone with two eyes and couple of balls (golf balls) knows that Tiger Woods won the Players Championship today after some controversy with Sergio Garcia the day before. Yes, Mr. Woods took one look at the Spaniard and said, "I'm better than you, and I know it", and won the tournament at TPC Sawgrass with a 13 under for the tournament. Garcia was so rattled by Tiger's presence among the leaders that he soiled himself on the 17th and then proceeded to shoot his tee shot in the water and wound up with a quadruple bogey.

On the PGA Tour, Tiger is better than you, and he knows it. 

 Now if you're like me and only watch the major championships in golf, you may be surprised to learn that it was Tiger's 4th victory of the year. El Tigre is also the number one ranked player on tour and 1st on the money list for the year. After being out for over a year with knee problems and some car trouble, this story seems like a comeback worthy of a Disney movie, maybe something along the lines of "Alley Cats Strike Back". But there is one major thing missing. Which is the obvious fact that Tiger hasn't won a major since 2008. Yes, that is five long years since Tiger has won a major. Names of people who have won a major more recently than Tiger. Darren Clarke, Yang Yeon-eun, Lucas Glover. Yikes.

Tiger hasn't won a major since 2008?!

 For me, Tiger isn't really back until he wins a major championship. Don't get me wrong, the Players Championship is big victory for the Cat but it's not one of the select four. It's like if Sam Cassell went off for 40 points in a regular season game against the Lakers and his team won. Sure it's a nice win and performance, but it's no championship or playoff game, and in the end only a few historians will remember it.

Sam Cassell IS an alien.

However, Tiger has put himself in prime position to capture a few of these major championships over the next couple of years. At 37 years of age, he's no cub anymore, but Jack Nicklaus proved you can win Majors at an advanced age, battling Alzheimer's and arthritis to win championships at age 40 and 46.  With any luck, Tiger will complete his comeback by winning a major this year and we can officially declare that He is back.