Masters 2012: Tiger-Less Leaderboard Proves Future Is Bright for PGA Tour

Tiger Woods didn't sniff the leaderboard over the weekend at the 2012 Masters and the media hardly even noticed.

The future is looking bright for the PGA and it's upcoming crop of talent.

Granted, there were some old hats atop the leaderboard as well, but Bubba Watson's epic clash with Louis Oosthuizen on the back nine made everyone forget that Woods had even struggled. 

His Augusta collapse was an afterthought, and that's a good thing.

As much as I've loved watching Tiger win on tour the last 15 years or so, I am thrilled to see the incredible talent that's been rising up from the ranks of college golf.

I was particularly tickled when I watched Watson make a charge on the back to tie Oosthuizen. He's my favorite golfer and I'm not just hopping on the bandwagon after his first major victory, either. I said he was due to win before the tournament even began.

There was a time when watching a tournament on TV was only fun for me when Woods was winning. I was addicted to watching him crush the life out of the lesser golfers that made up the old guard. Tiger was the undisputed king on tour, and for a time there wasn't anyone close to being in the same league.

When Woods struggled, I fell into depression and turned of the tube. 

Pathetic, right?

Nowadays, the level of competition on tour is so fierce—with or without Tiger—that it's a pleasure to watch just about any tournament on any given week.

Woods isn't the only one capable of tearing up the course anymore. 

Remember back to when the PGA started "Tiger-proofing" all their courses. In essence, it actually gave Woods an even greater advantage for a while because while the courses were playing tough for Tiger, they were actually even tougher for the rest of the field who were unable to hit the ball as far as him.

Woods isn't even in the top 25 in driving distance anymore. The young guns out on tour can bomb drives farther than Woods and they hit the fairways, too.

The best part is that none of them are afraid of Woods.

This progression past the Tiger era of dominance is good for the PGA Tour. I do hope to see him return to championship form, because that, too, would be good for the game.

For now, I'm just glad golf is worth watching again, even when Woods isn't near the top of the leaderboard.

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