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Tiger Woods
Two weeks ago, Tiger Woods seemed to encounter yet another hurdle on his quest to regain his pre-2009 form, as he pulled out of an event with an Achilles injury. Now, that seems like ancient history, as Woods won the Arnold Palmer invitational in grand fashion. Pre-2009, this wouldn't even be worth mentioning, but it's Tiger's first win in over two years, and it comes a scant few days before the Masters at Augusta National. It's just one event, but for Woods, it could be the predictor of big things to come over the rest of his career.
A major win?
To give you a sense of how far Tiger had fallen since his peak, this question used to be "How many majors will Tiger Woods win this year?"
Woods or Nicklaus?
It seemed like nothing would stop Tiger Woods from breaking Jack Nicklaus' record of 18 major wins. After his scandal in 2009, however, it seemed like he'd be stuck on 14 forever.
Invincible or vulnerable?
After a certain period of time, excellence becomes somewhat mundane -- it used to be more of a story when Tiger didn't win an event.
Today: Tiger Woods withdraws from WGC-Cadillac Championship with ACL discomfort.
- sd0672: "If anything he has learned that if it starts to hurt he should shut it down instead of making it worse. Finishing this event means nothing when Augusta is 3 weeks away. "
- manymarks: "according to medical folks, depending on the severity of the achilles tendon, it can take 12-16 months to recover. We may have seen the last of tw for awhile if that is the prob. "
- M3LLOW33: "Why are some people saying Tiger will be out for a year? He obviously didn't tear his achilles, you can't walk with that. This was a preventative withdraw from the tournament before he could do more damage to it."
- gary286134: "Honestly, I'm far from being a Tiger bandwagoner. But there is no way that you push the limits of a sore Achilles. "
- bow3599: "I wonder if it is time for Tiger to slow down the workouts, maybe just too much on that leg."
- davidb0425: "Going with what his doctors have advised him, he decided to shut it down and withdraw to stop further injury. Tiger's mindset is to now on staying healthy and concentrate on winning majors. ."
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What's the takeaway?
Tiger Woods may have been in contention for a tournament for the first time in a long time, but a final-round collapse gave Phil Mickelson a win at the Pebble Beach Pro-Am.
Will Tiger win a tourney?
Woods looked better in the first few rounds at Pebble Beach than he has in a long time, but his formerly unimpeachable status as a clutch closer took a significant hit.
What of the ultimate record?
Ultimately, Woods is gunning for Jack Nicklaus' record of 18 major wins. It seemed like he was steaming toward it without a hitch, but his midcareer scandal has derailed him somewhat.
Tiger Woods hasn't been a factor in professional golf for several years now, but his win at the Chevron might change things dramatically. Sure, it was just an 18-man event in golf's silly season, but a win is a win. We're sure Tiger is pretty thrilled with the whole thing. Now he just needs to get back to winning majors, and we'll be all set.
More: After his win, is Tiger Woods a threat to contend for any tournaments?
- "How do you criticize tiger for winning? This is the game of golf we are talking about! It doesn't matter who the field is, cuz its like the NFL, "anyone can win on any given sunday". Congrats to Tiger, I honestly believe he is finally back!" -- SN commenter eduskbrownsnats
- "Everyone keeps talking about the short field.......Everyone besides Tiger was inside top 35 in the world. Also the majority of them were between 5-20." -- SN commenter AztecMC
Where does Tiger rank right now?
Woods has moved up to 21st in the world rankings, which is somewhere between his absolute worst and his definite best.
Did you watch the Chevron?
The Chevron World Challenge isn't a major event by any means, but fans may have been encouraged to tune in when they saw Tiger was about to win.
Are you rooting for Tiger?
Tiger hasn't proven himself to be an entirely sympathetic figure in the past few years, but many fans miss the old Woods.
A step in the right direction?
Instead of chasing Jack Nicklaus, Tiger Woods chased guys like Briny Baird in the Frys.com Open. He failed to catch them, finishing 10 strokes back, but did he show signs of progress?
Should Tiger keep playing?
Woods will skip the McGladrey Classic and the Children's Miracle Network Classic, the final events of the Fall Series. Is that a reasonable move?
Still the biggest draw in golf?
Woods will play some exhibitions in Asia next month, but the next time we're likely to see him is in the Presidents Cup -- if you tune in.
Tiger Woods has been a fixture on the Ryder Cup and Presidents Cup scene since time immemorial, but he might have to do a little extra this year in order to guarantee himself a spot. U.S. Presidents Cup captain Fred Couples says that if he's going to pick Woods, then Tiger needs to play at least one tournament prior to the Australian Open. Woods has already stated an intent to lie low until the Open, but would it be worth it for him to add an event if it meant playing for Team USA?
- "Couldn't agree more… Tiger needs to earn his way on the team. There are many players deserving of a spot that have played all year. If Tiger plays better, he might get a spot, just because he's been the best player in the past he shouldn't automaticaly earn a spot. " -- SN commenter prsusa38
- "If Freddie is serious about winning the President's Cup (as team captain, he certainly should be serious about winning), why would he hurt the US chances by picking Woods? To me whether or not to pick Woods is a no-brainer - he doesn't get picked. Geez, this isn't rocket science!" -- SN commenter rustyfan37
- "I'm a Tiger Woods fan, but I don't think he deserves to be on the team this time. Not only is he not playing well, he's playing down right bad! Give the spots to the players that are next highest in points." -- SN commenter dobs72
Does Tiger have to?
Tiger Woods has been struggling lately, but his resume stands on its own. Is it really necessary to make him play a type of tuneup match before the Presidents Cup?
Asset or liability?
Then again, Tiger's last performance was among the worst of his career. Could he be taking the spot of a lesser-known, but more consistent golfer?
What should Tiger do?
Tiger might be well-served by more tournaments, in order to recapture his magic, but he seems to believe that more practice would be the way to go.
Not since Judge Smails was involved have caddies figured this prominently in popular culture. Two days after the fact, Steve Williams' win in the WGC-Bridgestone Invitational is still generating opinions -- in large part because Williams claimed it as his win rather than defer all credit to Adam Scott, the guy who hit the shots. Did Williams overstep his bounds?
- "Any legitimate sympathy one has for Steve Williams is offset by him proving to be a Class A jerk in the way he has treated others and badmouthed fellow competitors over the years. He's a no-class jerk who rode Tiger's coattails to a nice lifestyle and then chose to take the low road by running his mouth after Adam Scott's win." -- SN commenter ramsfan2185
- "Williams was being interviewed because Adam Scott won the tournament -- he should not have made those statements at that time and place. On any other day, it would be acceptable, but to make himself the focal point and draw attention away from Scott is shameful." -- SN commenter John35363
Does Williams deserve the backlash?
Other golfers tweeted criticism, columnists used far more than 140 characters to weigh in and experts took to television and radio on Monday to dissect Williams' words.
When did he step out of bounds?
To recap, Williams called the experience the "greatest week of my life caddying" and opined that he had "never had a bigger win."
Can you steal what doesn't exist?
One popular complaint is that Williams stole the limelight from Scott. WGC events are significant, but would we really have been talking about Scott's win without the controversy?
Caddie or tire changer?
The guys changing the tires on Jimmie Johnson's car probably get the edge in more hazardous work environment, but is a member of a pit crew more valuable than a caddie?
While there is some disagreement over whether it was a phone call or a face-to-face meeting that allowed Tiger Woods to tell Steve Williams the latter's services were no longer needed, we're guessing the caddie won't be waiting for word from his former boss this week. While Woods struggled to escape par, Williams helped Adam Scott win the WGC-Bridgestone Invitational, the Australian golfer's first World Golf Championship title.
- "Steve is a good caddy, but he needs to keep his mouth shut and just move on. What does he accomplish making a war out of this? I think Tiger is no longer a factor on Tour, and other players no longer, unlike the media, pay attention to what he is doing. I have no idea why he fired Steve. It may be the accumulation of all the errors before, like criticizing Phil Mickelson or Vijay Singh, that caused trouble for Tiger. I thought they were the best of friends. Apparently not." -- SN commenter rbhowe
Did the caddie make the difference?
Adam Scott is only 31, but he was the old guy on a leaderboard with the likes of Ryo Ishikawa. Given that Scott had just one PGA Tour win since 2008, how much credit does Williams get?
A little salt for that wound?
It's one thing to finish in the middle of the pack, 18 shots off the pace. It's another thing when that pace is set by the guy using your former caddie.
Next big win for a big name?
The PGA Championship begins this week in Atlanta, but whether it's this season's final major or one in the future, who wins first?
Good first step or another misstep?
Woods finished ahead of names like Phil Mickelson, Dustin Johnson and Y.E. Yang, but he was never in contention in breaking par just once in four rounds.
Who is telling the truth?
Williams said he was fired over the phone, while representatives for Woods stick to the golfer's story that he parted ways with Williams in person.
Perhaps the best indication of how far Tiger Woods has fallen is that we're talking about the promise of a round that left him 6 shots off the lead after the first round of the WGC-Bridgestone Invitational. But under par is under par, and an opening-round 68 isn't bad for a guy who missed the past three months. Other players noticed it; did you?
- "I think Tiger played a great round considering the long layoff. The second round will determine if he will be in contention on Sunday. Either way, welcome back, Tiger!!" -- SN commenter JonKateFan5
- "Does anyone else think that it'll be a bit of psychological blow to Woods if [Adam] Scott, with [caddie Steve] Williams, just blows the rest of the field out of the water this week?" -- SN commenter dansnee
Something or nothing?
Woods trails Adam Scott by 6 shots, but nine pars to open his round and even stronger play on the back nine is a decided improvement over the last time we saw him on course.
What's the clue?
Woods made several long putts to help his round, but he also talked about hitting the ball farther than he had in a long time.
Woods or Steve Williams?
SN generally roots for Tiger -- 66 percent of voters at last count. But after Woods unceremoniously ditched caddie Steve Williams, are you sympathetic toward the Kiwi?
Must-see television?
The season's final major is next week in the PGA Championship, but would Woods on a leaderboard anywhere be a more significant story?
Which flag will fly over Ohio?
Australians Scott (above) and Jason Day lead, but Northern Ireland's Rory McIlroy, Graeme McDowell and Darren Clarke, England's Lee Westwood and Luke Donald, and scores of American golfers lurk.
What will happen at Firestone?
Tiger Woods makes his return in this weekend's WGC-Bridgestone Invitational, an event he won in the past. Will he play like a guy who missed three months with knee and Achilles injuries?
How much do you care?
NFL free agency is calming down a little, the MLB trade deadline is history -- the spotlight seems as if it's available this weekend. But is Woods' return on your must-watch list?
What have we learned?
It has only been months since Woods played, but it's been a lot longer since he dominated. With the rise of Rory McIlroy, the charm of Darren Clarke and more, is golf doing fine?
What about the unfamiliar face?
Woods will return, but Steve Williams won't be with him. Interim caddie Byron Bell has carried the bag for Woods before, but his full-time gig is running the golfer's course-design operation.
Rory, Tiger or Phil?
The Rory McIlroy bandwagon slowed slightly after he looked merely mortal in the British Open, but will he win his second major before two other giants add to their totals?
What about next week?
We're only a week away from the year's final major. What do you expect from Woods when the PGA Championship hits the Atlanta Athletic Club?
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