Tiger is nearly there with his A game

Tiger Woods will win a PGA event very soon, possibly as soon as this week at Bay Hill. He is oh so close to his A game, and the only thing holding him back are his nerves. He was just slightly off his game on Sunday, which is understandable, since he hasn't been in the hunt in five years. But, he still played remarkably well. Consider that his playing partner, Brandt Snedeker, shot 78 in the final around, overnight leaser Corey Conners shot 77, and even Justin Rose struggled to a 72. Tiger shot 70, and that was mainly because he kept leaving himself long birdie putts. But, he even managed to hole one of those (a 44 footer) when the pressure was on! I was most impressed with Tiger's ability to hit shots from left to right and right to left ON COMMAND. After the round, he admitted that he's playing golf by feel again, and not mechanically. That was ever so evident with his short game. Remember when he had those epic short game struggles the last couple of years? And, how he would work on his "release" on his short shots to help with the full swing changes he was making under Sean Foley? None of that ever made any sense. Tiger's short game and putting are spot on right now. The next step is the driver. Many people are considering him to be a favorite at Augusta now. But, Tiger hasn't won there since 2013 for one key reason...the driver. While Augusta has wide fairways that are hard to miss, it is still critical to hit it in the proper position off the tee. Approaching those greens from the proper angle is critical to scoring at Augusta. Driving it off the tee is nowhere near as easy as it may look to the viewer. Success off the teen requires a player to be able to shape his tee shots from left to right AND right to left. Tiger's inability to do that consistently well since his last victory in 2005 is why he has not won since. That first tee shot has absolutely killed him, and it has set the tone for many of his rounds. I suspect this year will be a little different. I expect him to drive it much better. The key will be how well his 42 year old nerves hold up on those greens. So far, his putting has been excellent. But, let's face it, Innisbruck is not Augusta. At the same time, there is a history of older winners at Augusta...Jack Nicklaus at 46, Ben Crenshaw at 43, Gary Player at 42 and Mark O'Meara at 41. It's been quite a while since one of the old timers won at Augusta. But, with Phil Mickelson's win last week, and Tiger's 2nd place finish this week, perhaps 2018 will be the year of the old timer at The Masters.

Hey, Tiger is playing pretty good golf again!

Well, another year has past, so it must be time for another comment on the game of Tiger Woods! LOL Seriously though, my intention is to start posting more regularly again. I've hardly played any golf myself for the last six or seven years, but I am itching to get back to it this year. What better way to jump back in than to talk about the latest comeback of the greatest player of all time? Tiger showed significant progress this week after missing the cut at Riviera last week. The one aspect of his game that has a few analysts raving is his swing speed. Apparently, he is up around 125 mph with the big dog in his hand...that is quite astonishing for a 42 year old who doesn't make a living competing on the long drive circuit. I also heard the comment that for Saturday's round, Tiger was the leader in proximity to the hole by an astonishing 10 feet! On Sunday, Tiger looked like he was going to make a bit of a run, with a few birdies in the first eight holes, drawing within three of the lead. Alas, his game leveled off a bit, and Tiger finished at even par, eight behind the two leaders, Justin Thomas and Luke List. Tiger was happy with his play, and now all the golf writers and commentators have high hopes of a strong performance for Tiger at Augusta in April. What's my assessment? It's all about the driver. Augusta forces a player to drive the ball well, and to do that, it's necessary to curve it both ways. Tiger has not won at Augusta since 2005 because the driver hasn't allowed him to be in position to attack the pins in most years. Going at those greens from the wrong angles just makes the course play too hard. Only because of his intimate knowledge of every bounce on that course keeps him competitive. Where Tiger may actually have a better shot in a major this year is Shinnecock Hills, site of the U.S. Open. By U.S. Open standards, Shinnecock is a short course, playing to about 7,000 yards. As a result, Tiger won't need to hit too many drivers. Given that his iron game appears to be rounding into form, don't be surprised if Tiger makes a run there. A good indication of where his game and mind are will be at Bay Hill. He obviously loves the course, winning there 8 times, and most recently in 2013. That year, he hit few drivers, but putted his eyes out. If Tiger puts together another similar type performance on a track he enjoys, then I'll expect him to seriously contend at the U.S. Open, if not sooner at Augusta. By the way, I revived my old golf instruction website at Scott Cole Golf. The site will be focused on instruction, golf fitness and travel. Check it out soon!