Tiger Woods: 3 Things to Watch for in His Last Pre-Masters Tournament

This week will not only give us the last tournament Tiger Woods plays in before teeing it up at the Masters, but it will also give us a good preview of what to expect there.

So, if you're trying to figure out the chances of Tiger winning his fifth Green Jacket, keep an eye on these three factors above all others.

Putter

You will never win at Augusta without a hot putter. In recent months, Woods has been close with the flat stick, but just a bit off far too often. Actually, it seems as though he is just missing the short putts just as often as he misses the long ones. 

How he putts this week is extremely important, as putters don't just all of a sudden turn it on after taking a week off. Anyone who golfs knows that when you're struggling with the putter, the only way to work it out is to keep putting—and putting in tournaments. 

Tiger can practice all that he wants, but nothing will ever simulate the pressure of tournament golf. If he's not holing putts at Bay Hill consistently, it's not going to happen at Augusta. Conversely, if he putts well, we've already seen the rest of his game coming around. 

Four Good Rounds

Ironically, the pattern Tiger has been falling into will work well in the Masters, but the scores have to be the same.

Allow me to explain.

For a lot of the season, we've seen Tiger have three rounds a few shots under par, with another right around it. If that trend continues at Augusta, he'll be fine and will be a real contender. 

The scales differ, though. If you're playing the same way at Augusta versus another tour stop, the scores are going to be higher at Augusta. Basically, it's a tougher course. 

Prediction-wise, expect more of the same three good rounds to one not-so-good round from Tiger at Bay Hill.

But here's what to watch for in the not-so-good round: Is Tiger hitting the fairways and greens, but just a touch off with the putter?

If so, expect the score in relation to par to be basically the same at Augusta. 

However, if he's missing fairways and greens, but scrambling for pars at Bay Hill, that's not going to carry over to Augusta. That round would be about the equivalent of three- or four-over par at the Masters, which will not bring a Green Jacket.

Overall Health

I know that he played in the Tavistock Cup, but that is in no way the same as walking around for four days hitting high-pressure shots. 

The fact is that in the last real tournament in which we saw Tiger, he had to withdraw before the final round ended. When Sunday afternoon rolls around and he's walked around on that Achilles for four days (plus whatever stress came from the Tavistock Cup), I want to see how he's doing. 

If we're not noticing any pain or discomfort, then he's a real threat at Augusta, and everywhere else for the rest of the year.

But, if there are any setbacks (even minor ones), expect a lot of the same stuff that we saw in 2011. 

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