Tiger Woods: Twitter Reaction and Analysis After Win at Arnold Palmer Invitation

It happened, Tiger Woods finally won another tournament. Woods captured his first win since 2009 on Sunday. It was a dominating performance, as he won the Arnold Palmer Invitational at Bay Hill by five shots.

Tiger held off Graeme McDowell and Ian Poulter, with a solid final day, despite rough conditions. Woods produced a 2 under 70 on the final day, when every other contender tailed off. He held steady and locked down the victory, and you could almost physically see the weight roll off his back.

Woods seemed to be so relieved to finally get back in the winner's circle, and the hype for Tiger at Augusta has already begun.

In previous tournaments, Tiger had shown signs of breaking through, but at Bay Hill, he pulled out his 72nd victory.

As expected, Twitter exploded:

Darren Rovell of CNBC points out Tiger's trending power:

"

Even more remarkable with good UNC/KU game going on RT @dssdevl 8 of the top 10 trends are Tiger Woods.

— darren rovell (@darrenrovell) March 25, 2012"

We know Tiger is happy, but what about the sponsors that stuck with him through the scandal and struggling play? This from Craig Evans of EA Sports:

"

Big moment for golf. @TigerWoods

— Craig Evans (@TheCraigEvans) March 25, 2012"

Big moment for sales as well.

You can bet the folks at EA Sports are as excited as anyone. Tiger Woods PGA Tour 13 releases for multiple video game platforms on Tuesday. 

Hmm...let's see...first win in two years on national television, heading into The Masters, that is represented in the game.

Sounds like PR heaven to me.

Many of the skeptics, and hardliners will not bat an eye at this win, or at least they won't let you know they did. Robert Littal of Black Sports Online offers:

"

I am not that impressed with Tiger Woods winning, it was bound to happen eventual, this is like winning Divisional title, needs Major win

— Robert Littal (@BlkSportsOnline) March 25, 2012"

Well, Tiger did once say that all that mattered was the majors. That was before the last two years happened to him. Things change, and so does your focus in light of them. This is one hell of a baby step.

Not everyone is as unimpressed by Tiger's victory. Especially in recognition of all that has transpired over the past two years. CBS Football specialist Vic Lombardi tweeted:

"

You don't have to root for Tiger. You certainly don't have to like him. But you have to respect the mountain he just climbed.

— Vic Lombardi (@VicLombardi) March 25, 2012"

That is a perfect way to sum this one up. Tiger still has his detractors, but how many of us could have rebounded from the depths he found himself in? 

Whether the issues were self-inflicted is secondary to recognizing the grind. Many respect the hustle, and I am in that number.

Comedian Steve Harvey chimed in sharing his feelings on Tiger's win:

"

Tiger Woods just made my Sunday ..... Watch out he's back!!

— Steve Harvey (@IAmSteveHarvey) March 25, 2012"

The Tiger Woods' support comes from everywhere.

Adding to the hype machine was the manner in which Tiger Woods won the tournament. The PGA Tour tweeted this factoid:

"

Tiger's 5-shot victory was the largest since Rory McIlroy won the U.S. Open by eight shots.

— PGA TOUR (@PGATOUR) March 25, 2012"

The large margin of victory screams vintage Tiger, and he's quietly moving up the ranks in the Fed Ex standings as well. Another tweet from the PGA Tour:

"

Tiger Woods moved from 18th to No. 6 in the world. Jim Furyk went from No. 54 to 50 while Ernie Els clocks in at 58.

— PGA TOUR (@PGATOUR) March 25, 2012"

Folks are already starting the Augusta National talk, the ESPN network tweeted:

"

It's been 924 days since Tiger Woods last won on the PGA TOUR. That drought ended today. Next stop? Augusta. -> es.pn/H1YqWl

— ESPN (@espn) March 25, 2012"

It's inevitable and you can bet ESPN will be leading the ultra Tiger coverage until tee off at Augusta.

Tiger's greatest appeal is that his greatness has always grabbed the attention of the casual fan. He makes the people that wouldn't watch the sport pay attention. It's called transcending the game. 

This tweet from BJ Evans, PR man for the Charlotte Bobcats is a simple way to convey this moment:

"

Tiger, Tiger, Tiger Woods y'all!

— BJ Evans (@BIEjr) March 25, 2012"

I couldn't have said it any better myself.