Tiger Woods: Resurgence of Golf's Biggest Draw Is Great News for PGA Tour

Don't look now, but there's a very familiar name atop the leader board of the 2012 U.S. Open. While many of Tiger Woods' opponents may not be jumping for joy at the sight of Woods once again on the prowl, you can bet that the powers that be on the PGA Tour couldn't be happier.

Woods fired a 70 in the second round of the 2012 U.S. Open, leaving the 36-year-old tied for the lead after 36 holes with Jim Furyk and David Toms. He relayed to the San Jose Mercury News after his round that sitting atop the leaderboard is "a wonderful place to be" and that he feels he's hitting the ball better than he has in some time:

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Been a very long time. Because don't forget, I went through all of last year hurt. Hadn't been able to practice, and then this year I did well in spurts. But now it's becoming more consistent, day-in and day-out.

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What's even more surprising than how well Woods has performed at the Olympic course is the manner in which he's done so.

Playing in a grouping that contained Masters champion Bubba Watson and longtime rival Phil Mickelson, Woods played heady, conservative golf, using long irons off the the tee in many instances and taking what the course gave him. Meanwhile, Mickelson and Watson spent most of the first two days floundering, shooting a combined 16 over par.

Granted, the PGA and USGA didn't necessarily want to see Mickelson falter and Watson miss the cut entirely (as did defending champion Rory McIlroy). But if there were two wishes those organizations had entering this tournament, both have been granted.

The first was that a measure of order would be restored to the U.S. Open after McIlroy's assault on Congressional Country Club a year ago. The 23 year-old set a U.S. Open record by finishing the tournament at a mind-boggling 16-under par.

Those sorts of scores simply aren't supposed to happen at the Open, which is generally considered the toughest test in all of golf. The USGA certainly appears to have addressed the issue, as the Lake Course at Olympic has been a meat grinder to this point, swallowing more errant shots than Pac-Man swallows power pellets.

The PGA's second and even more important wish was that the most marketable star in golf would be in the thick of things entering the weekend. As goes Tiger Woods, so goes the TV ratings of most golf tournaments. With Woods perched atop the leaderboard, the number of TV sets tuned in to watch him play will no doubt have tour director Tim Finchem smiling from ear to ear.

There's still a lot of golf to play, and on a course that's as unforgiving as Olympic has been to this point, anything can happen. But at this point, it certainly appears that Tiger Woods is in it to win it. That undoubtedly has both golf fans and tour organizers hoping that Sunday is filled with red shirts and fist pumps as Tiger Woods tries to win the 15th major of his illustrious career.

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