Tiger Woods. Just by hearing the name, you either like him or hate him. There is no denying he has been a fantastic golfer in the past. There is also no denying that he is one of the greatest golfers of all-time. However, his performance over the past few years, most notably the fact that he has not won a major since the 2008 U.S. Open, has left him with numerous critics wondering if he can still win anymore. Now, before I go any further, please realize that I am not condoning his actions in one of the biggest sex scandals of all-time, nor am I saying he is actually a good person. But, what I am saying is it would be wrong to write him off as a has-been. He has a proven track record on tour, and is someone whose talent alone always gives him a shot to win.
As fantastic as Woods' career has been, there have been some times when he has struggled. However, there seems to be a pattern as to when these struggles occur. After Woods turned pro in 1996, he raced out of the gates winning. He won 8 majors from 1997 -2002 working under swing coach Butch Harmon. However, in 2003 and in 2004, Woods did not win a major. In March of 2004, Woods hired Hank Haney as his swing coach. Woods did not win with Haney as his coach until the following season in January of 2005. He followed that up by winning the Masters of that year as well. Woods went almost a full year of exclusively working with Haney before he won for the first time. Keep in mind, this is without any injuries or distractions. Woods would then go on to win the rest of his 14 majors with Haney. But, it took some time before Woods was ready to win again.
Tiger hired Sean Foley towards the end of the 2010 season. If he was to follow the previous pattern of about a year before he won (as was the case with Harmon and Haney), then nobody would have said anything. Many were surprised, myself included, with how he continued to struggle throughout the 2011 season, and how badly he placed in most of the tournaments in which he played. But, keep in mind Tiger missed half of the 2011 season with leg injuries he suffered at the Masters. Not only did he miss half of the season, he missed one of the most important times of the season, being that he missed two majors. I consider 2011 to be a lost year for Tiger, one that he can honestly throw out. I say this because, like him or not, Tiger has always been known as one the hardest, if not the hardest, worker on tour. He spends countless hours on the most minute details of his game. When you're injured, you don't do that. You can't spend hours on the range working on your swing. Injuries hurt everyone, but it hurts more when you are going through a swing change. So, if 2011 was a lost year for Tiger, then 2012 had to be a big one for him. So far, he's had a good year, not for usual Tiger standards, but for a guy who's still trying to work his way back, he's been pretty good. He already has three Top 10s, and 1 win. It's only May. The majority of the season on Tour has yet to be played. He is admitting to still "fighting himself" with his swing. This really is his first full year working with Foley, and for a guy who is nowhere near as comfortable with his swing as he can be, that's a pretty good start.
After Tiger won at Bay Hill in March, some people declared him back. Now, after three straight bad performances, he's being called over-the-hill again. Such is the fickle nature of the American people. Of course, everything Tiger does is magnified by a thousand. Everyone always knows how he's doing in a tournament. Yes, Tiger is getting older now and the numerous surgeries to his knee may be catching up with him. But, still it would be wrong to discount him and say he will never win again. Many golfers have come and gone in this generation of golf. The one constant surrounding this generation is the steady play of Tiger Woods. After Woods' 14 majors, the person who comes in next is Phil Mickelson with 4 major wins. Now, 4 majors is certainly impressive, but if 4 is impressive, then how impressive is 14? His success in this generation, is without a doubt, unmatched. So, to me, it seems a bit odd to write off a man with a staggering 72 career victories, including 14 majors. With that kind of success and talent, he will always have a chance.
