Cadillac Championship 2012: Surging Tiger Woods Would Take Huge Step with Win

When Tiger Woods entered the final round of last week's Honda Classic well behind the leaders, there was little expectation that he would be able to make a run. While he didn't win, Tiger surprised many by finishing in second place, and that certainly bodes well for his foray into the Cadillac Championship this week.

Woods shot the best final round of his professional career on Sunday as he tallied a scorching 62, complete with an eagle on the final hole. That pulled him to within one shot of leader Rory McIlroy, but McIlroy was able to hold on and win by two strokes and earn the No. 1 ranking in the process.

While some might consider Tiger's performance a disappointment since he remains winless on the PGA Tour since 2009, it proved that he is rounding into form. Woods' putter failed him over the first couple of rounds, but he was much better in that regard on the third and fourth days of the tournament.

On top of that, Tiger's retooled swing seems to be doing wonders. He hit the ball well off the tee for the entire event and he even led the tournament in driving distance, which he hasn't done in quite some time. On top of that, he had some impeccable approach shots throughout the tournament, particularly on that magical final day.

Some will also say that falling short proves that Tiger has lost the killer instinct he once had, but it took everything Woods had to even get back into contention in the first place. Tiger has periodically shown that he is still capable of playing dominant golf, but the challenge is that he now needs to figure out a way to string together four consecutive days of brilliance.

If momentum means anything in sports, then Woods is well on his way to a victory in the Cadillac Championship. The tournament will feature the top 50 players in the world, so it will be a fantastic barometer for where exactly Tiger's game is as he prepares for the Masters in an attempt to kick-start his pursuit of Jack Nicklaus' majors record.

Many golf fans are taking a wait-and-see approach when it comes to embracing Tiger. The en vogue thing right now is to kick Woods while he's down and make fun of his drought on the PGA Tour. However, as soon as he wins one PGA tournament, he'll be golf's darling once again. It looks like that could happen as soon as this coming Sunday.

Woods doesn't necessarily need a win prior to the Masters in order to be considered a contender, but a victory would certainly help his confidence. It would also send a message to the rest of the field that the old Tiger is back and ready to go on a tear.

Even if Tiger was in his pre-Escalade form, he wouldn't be as dominant as he once was because of how deep the talent pool currently is. Literally, any golfer can win on any given week. That has as much to do with Woods' struggles as anything else.

It is becoming increasingly obvious that Woods is on the verge of busting out, though, and the Cadillac Championship could be his coming-out party. There are obviously no guarantees, but the smart money is on Tiger and his improved swing to take this week's star-studded tournament.