Tiger Woods is back; just not at Accenture Match Play

Tiger Woods is back on the PGA Tour. There is almost nothing that can be said about his return that the following commercial by Nike does not capture.



Yes the party is over. Or is it?

Watching Tiger play in the Accenture Match Play Championship today, versus Clark tells me that the laser beam is off center.

Tiger Woods is just not as sharp as we all expect him to be. Now this is match play, so it’s not like a regular competition. And Tiger can easily be far better on different courses. But I watched him through the 11th hole. And the best he did was end up even.

This is not the Tiger that the rest of the field fears. This is not the Tiger that the fans expect. There is just no other way of stating the facts.

There were just too many shots that were not close enough, or putts that were dropping. Any other golfer in the world would be pleased, and fans would accept the results. But we are talking about the Great One. A golfer that can easily break every record, even at a severely reduced attempt to do so.

Tiger Woods has another 20 or 30 years of golf before him. So I do not doubt that he will achieve new records for other golfers to strive for. Nor do I doubt that he can win virtually at will. The only question at this point is does he want it as much as he did 5 years ago?

There is nothing wrong with having family as the first priority. And I believe that Tiger has enough endorsements and ability to take care of his family for life. In fact I think his business acumen has ensured their comfortable living standard for decades to come. But watching him today was like watching a man in quicksand.

Now it’s a given that he has not been in competition for a year. Add to that the stress of a new child. Plus there is no way I would ever match up to Tiger on his worst day with the benefit of my handicap and a great caddy. So my criticism is separate of my ability. Given.

Still I’m waiting for Tiger to turn on the fire. It seems that the WCG Accenture Match Play Championship will not be it. But once he turns it on, well the commercial says it all. Yet I can’t describe my displeasure at Woods losing on Thursday.

It’s like a vortex, like the bear market, like the prospects of the stimulus plan working. We all want it to succeed, but we know it just isn’t happening. But unlike the rest of the economy, or the pipe dreams of Democrats, I believe Woods will pull through. And so do you.

The ratings for Woods first match back are up 50% from a year ago. That’s good news for the PGA, the players and fans. Imagine once Tiger gets back into the swing of things.

Well enough rambling. Tiger Woods is back. The trophies are waiting. And I wouldn’t bet against him even with Vegas odds.