Masters Takeaways: Is Golf More Enjoyable Without Tiger's Dominance?

As the weekend began in Augusta I kept hoping Tiger Woods could make a run, thinking like many that golf in America is better when the troubled star is playing well. 

Two days after Bubba Watson's miraculous shot out of the woods that led to his first green jacket, I have quite the opposite view.

When Tiger was dominating golf, there was hardly any doubt who would win each weekend, especially at the majors. Even if he had a small lead headed into Sunday, nobody paired with the red shirt was able to overcome even a few strokes. His dominance was second to none.

Watching Tiger play golf was almost like playing a video game, seeing shots you never dreamed of and putts that broke harder than Woods' confidence at The Masters this year. It was unreal.

But I don't think it was the best thing for golf in this country.

The vast majority of golf fans play golf. Those of us who are out at the local course hacking it around in our free time, slicing drives into ponds and three-putting regularly watched Tiger with absolute awe because we know how difficult it is to hit those shots. 

He never seemed to make a mistake. The golfers in contention this weekend did.

Louis Oo-what'shisname imploded after the albatross. Bubba shanked it into the woods when it mattered most. Phil Mickelson had two double bogeys for the tournament. And we could all relate.

I'm not discounting the value of witnessing greatness. There's an undeniable awesomeness involved in watching athletes like Michael Jordan, Tom Brady or Derek Jeter. But no average fan can relate to throwing a touchdown pass in the Super Bowl or getting your 3,000th hit. A whole bunch of folks, on the other hand, can relate to a golfer's struggles.

Bubba's shot out of the woods was legendary, a big time shot on the world's biggest stage. But we can all relate to putting it in the woods like he did on the previous shot, and it makes him real to us.

The new stars of golf aren't perfect, but maybe that's exactly what the sport needs.