Tiger Woods: Strong Memorial Performance Will Jump-Start Strong Run of Play

We've seen this before, as recently as this year. Tiger Woods wins a tournament, then goes on to blow up at a major championship.

People have reason to be skeptical Woods will win the 2012 US Open, even after his fantastic performance at the Memorial. He won the Arnold Palmer Invitational this year, then finished in 40th place at the Masters.

But Woods' performance at the Memorial was different than at the Arnold Palmer Invitational. For one, he finished off the tournament with a five-under-par 67 in the final round, while he shot a 70 in the final round at Bay Hill.

Secondly, he sunk his greatest shot of 2012, and one of the greatest shots of his career, making a 50-foot chip shot on the 16th hole to tie Rory Sabbatini with two holes to play. In short, he had a comeback fitting of vintage Tiger.

Woods' last major championship was the 2008 US Open. He also placed sixth in 2009 and fourth in 2010 before injuries caught up to him in 2011, forcing him out of the tournament. Woods has to feel good heading into the 2012 US Open, and he has to remember his last major championship. Things like that just don't go away.

The reality is, the stars are aligned for Woods, including Rory McIlroy, who hasn't played as well this year. McIlroy has just one tournament win this year in eight PGA Tour events, and that came in his second tournament of 2012.

It can't be overstated just how critical that shot on the 16th was for Woods at the Memorial. Shots like that have been few and far between for him since late 2009. The biggest obstacle for Woods, in my mind, has been his mental game for the past two-and-a-half years.

That shot propelled him to victory. You knew after he sunk that he would win the Memorial. He ended the tournament with a birdie on the 18th.

The truth is, you can never count a legend out, and many of us (including myself) erred in doing so. Woods has that fire in his eyes, and it appears he's left his troubles behind him.

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