Why Win at Arnold Palmer Invitational Would Make Tiger Woods Masters' Favorite

Guess who's back?

At 11 under through three rounds of play at the 2012 Arnold Palmer Invitational and currently sitting atop the leaderboard, former No. 1 golfer Tiger Woods is primed to win this tournament and carry his momentum to the Masters at Augusta.

Upon returning to the sport, Woods has had to take care of two major problems: settling the paparazzi surrounding his personal life and getting into a groove in his game while dealing with a lingering Achilles tendon injury.

According to USA Today, Woods felt pain at first, but feels as though the left Achilles tendon has loosened up as the rounds have continued on.

"

"Walked it off and then tried to hit one down there," Woods said. "Hit it in the fairway, but didn't feel very good. But after a couple of holes, it loosened up. And I'm good to go now."

"

As his injury has now become a minimal issue in his game and time has helped to settle his issues off the golf course, Woods is now showing just how strong of a golfer he is when he can play his game.

The biggest improvement on the course has been his exceptional putting.

For the first time since failing to knock in countless putting attempts on the greens at both the World Golf Championships (which he would withdraw out of) and the 2012 PGA tourney at Pebble Beach, Woods has been on point with his putter.

He has been especially accurate with his approaches and has made the most of his birdie opportunities in this tournament. His showing has easily been the best Woods has displayed since before the controversy in his personal life began.

If Tiger can pull through and hold on to this two-stroke lead in the fourth and final round, expect big things from worlds former No. 1. Last year, after putting on an average run at the 2011 Arnold Palmer, Woods still finished fourth at the Masters following that tournament.

With a chance to seal the deal here in 2012, there is no question Woods has what it takes to win a Masters and get back on track with his game. Tiger knows his chance is now, as golf's most talented will make a strong run at getting back on top of the sport he once dominated.