Masters Odds 2012: Why Green Jacket Is Tiger's to Lose

If you had told me before the season that Tiger Woods would be the favorite at the Masters, I probably would have told you your crystal ball was broken.

I then would have told you to go to the Atlantic Ocean, toss your crystal ball into the depths and never come back to Augusta again.

But some wilds things happen in golf, and this Tiger Woods critic will be the first to tell you Tiger has a lot working for him heading into the Masters next week.

You name a problem, and Tiger Woods had it coming into 2012. He had just turned 36 years old, was coming off multiple injuries and, above all, his mental game wasn't nearly what it used to be.

Then the Arnold Palmer Invitational came around and Woods came alive, showing the consistency and mental game needed to win at Augusta.

Headed into the final round, Woods was only one stroke ahead of Graeme McDowell. Then he distanced himself, shooting a two-under-par 70 and finishing five strokes ahead.

But perhaps what was most impressive about Woods' victory, and most telling, was that he was finally able to play four rounds of consistent golf. When's the last time he did that? Even at the Masters last year, Woods shot a two-over-par in the third round.

This doesn't hide Woods' obstacles, of course. He's still an aging player. He still always seems a tweak away from injuring himself again.

But Woods has appeared to overcome his mental struggles. When he won at Bay Hill, you could almost see all the wear and tear wash away from Tiger's face. He went from being a 36-year-old going on midlife crisis to a 36-year-old going on 30.

When you have a clear mind out on the golf course, you are capable of doing amazing things, regardless of how old you are. The great Jack Nicklaus showed us that in 1986 when he won the Masters at 46 years of age.

Woods has overcome his greatest obstacle: finding a way to clear the cobwebs.

Winning has a way of doing that.

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