My thoughts on Tiger Woods

Tiger Woods is back! Check out the tweet Tiger made after winning the Chevron on Sunday:

@TigerWoods: who's up for some ll cool j? :) http://bit.ly/sOPGoe

That music video is definitely symbolic of how he feels about his game, and how he wants other people to view his game.

People who know me know that I love Tiger Woods. But I also believe that he's finally getting his game back. This includes his mental game, which I can't help but believe was affected drastically by everything going on in his life. Hate it or not, I'm predicting Tiger Woods to win the Master's in Tiger-like fashion, and here's why:

• Last year Tiger finished 4th in the Master's. Remember this was when he was virtually playing with a scrap together swing, with hardly any other tournament play the whole season. Tell me, who else in golf could do what he did at the Master's?
• Joe LaCava. Finally Tiger has a real caddy. I've been impartial to Steve Williams throughout Woods' career. Williams did keep Tiger at bay when things got rough, but what Tiger really needs is someone to walk with him, give him clubs, and maybe give a nod of approval once in awhile. Joe LaCava is a perfect fit for Tiger's game.
• The short game. Everyone who knows Tiger knows that it's always been his short game that produces wins. Who cares if he misses a few fairways here and there? Check out these putting stats from 2009. Tiger missed zero, ZERO putts within 5 feet. He was also an unbelievable 95% from 10 feet in. You win tournaments when your putting is that good, and he's showing signs of that again.
• Drive. I honestly think Tiger wants to win again. It's hard when you've competed at the highest level and then fallen off the radar. If anyone says Tiger isn't capable of making a comeback, they're wrong.
• The Swing. Sean Foley and Tiger have finally come up with the game plan for the swing. Finally Tiger seems confident with the swing and with his short game back, Tiger should be more than happy with the state of his game. As long as he can stay out of OB, he'll be fine going forward.

The biggest factor for Tiger's return is his tournament schedule. He'll have to suck up his ego and play in some lower profile tournaments to gain tournament experience. As stupid as it sounds, even Tiger Woods needs to get his tournament confidence back. If Tiger builds a solid schedule and sticks with it, his game will keep improving. Sure he'll have off weeks, he might miss a cut here and there, but it's all in the new learning process he has to go through. We've all seen what happens when Tiger plays well and produces wins. If Tiger starts creeping up the tournament leaderboards on Sunday in majors, you can't tell me that everyone ahead of him isn't going to be a little nervous. I'm looking forward to a similar 2009 performance this season. Welcome back Tiger Woods, I've missed you.