Tiger Returns

Well put a nine-iron through the window, look who’s coming back to play golf.  If you ascribe to the Horses for Courses theory, this is the right move for the seven-time Firestone winner.  Despite his historical dominance, Tiger finished 78th out of 80 in last year’s Bridgestone and hit the ball just terribly.  Can we expect an improved performance next week?  Let’s compare his situation from a year ago.  Last year he had played every 2-3 weeks leading up to Bridgestone with appearances at Memorial, U.S. Open, AT&T, and British Open.  Now, Tiger is newly divorced (albeit 12 months further removed from the scandal), has fired his long-time caddy, has rehabbed a recent injury to leg and Achilles, has a new mechanical-minded genius (Sean Foley) counseling him on his game, and hasn’t played in 11 weeks since withdrawing at The Players Championship.   The fact is Tiger is now a middle of the road pro with a ton of mental and physical baggage.  The champion we once new is gone forever.