Today marks a momentous occasion. In exactly one month from today, Tiger Woods will be donning the Green Jacket as Masters Champion. I am sure of it.
It might sound crazy to predict something like this, but I have a hunch. Maybe it is because I am a passionate Tiger fan, but I know deep down in my heart that he will regain form. People thought he’d never win again, yet he did. Now they are saying he will never win another major, and I am so ready to have Tiger prove his doubters wrong.
Admittedly, the man has a lot to work on, namely putting. His short- putting numbers are atrocious right now. He is converting a whopping 43 percent on putts from five to 10 feet. During his peak, Tiger was hitting about 60 percent of these putts. But Tiger is one of the hardest workers in the history of golf, and I know that he will get it right. Right now it is all mental for him. He will come around.
There are some good signs in his game, too. He has been making cuts, which is the first step to getting back into form. You cannot win if you are not playing on Sunday. His ball striking has been solid all year. His retooled swing is clearly working and that can only get better as time goes on.
Tiger is the most dominant golfer of all time. I won’t say that he’s the best, but when you win 25 percent of your career starts, including the rough patch that he’s in now, that is saying something. Just think about that stat. At the Masters in April, about 100 golfers will vie for the win. So Tiger’s odds are essentially one in100. Yet, El Tigre has won one out of every four times he steps on the golf course. Dominant.
I believe that Augusta National is tailored to Tiger’s game if he can just compose himself for four straight rounds. He has the distance and the ball striking to get the ball on the green in regulation every time. He just needs to stop blocking himself and pushing the ball off of the putter. Pars are there for the taking, and birdies are possible. Tiger needs to be aggressive on par fives and go for these greens in two. That’s how you conquer Augusta National.
Call me a bad person for liking Tiger. So be it. The man will be on a mission that first weekend in April. When he puts on that fifth Green Jacket, you will know that you heard it here first. Tiger Woods will win the Masters.
