Tiger Wins With Little Roar

We are all witnesses. 

Tiger Woods returned to action today and did what we expected.  He won with ease.  He played what amounted to a practice round against a resilient Brendan Jones, finishing the Aussie off on the 16th hole with a routine four-foot putt.  All that was left to do was to respectfully remove his new Victory Red Nike cap, expose his one weakness (a receding hairline) and congratulate his "competition" on becoming the first victim in Tiger's new chapter in golf's history books. 

Tiger's Knee 3.0 answered all our questions and quieted critics.  Would the knee hold up?  Could he shake the rust off and overcome nerves to compete and win?  Sure, Tiger hasn't won anything yet, and he merely beat the world's 53rd-ranked golfer to play another day, but any uncertainty as to Tiger's physical condition can be put to rest. 

Woods after a 254-day layoff is better than 99.99 percent of golfers on the planet, and with one day back in the saddle he is unmatched.  The man just needed a practice round against another "professional" to get back to where he left us last June, our collective jaws agape and heads shaking slowly side to side. 

The speculation on whether nerves would affect Tiger's comeback performance on the first tee was quickly hushed as Woods canned a quick birdie and utilized his signature "stinger" shot to set up his second hole eagle, causing Jones to check his wallet for his Tour card to remind himself he belonged on the same course as his competitor.

However, after all the hype and media attention, Tiger's return didn't set any records.  He didn't put Johnson away after nine holes, and he didn't ascend into the heavens on a cloud.  He didn't pause to run an Ironman triathlon or cure cancer at the turn.  He simply played solid golf, and routinely dispatched an adversary who, until recently, was unknown to the casual golf fan. 

Tiger admitted in his post-round interview that he was pleased with the match despite some loose iron play.  Freshest in his mind was the 16th and ultimately deciding hole on which he missed the green short and was forced to save par from the bunker to defeat Jones. 

Jones didn't put up much of a fight until the last few stanzas, but few can.  Jones spent much of the round watching Woods float 3-woods into the center of fairways at will, calling his abilities "freakish."  Jones even remarked that it was fun to see some of the ball trajectories Woods makes look easy.  But despite wowing his competitor and the gallery, as well as the perpetually fawning announcers, Jones took Tiger to the 16th green after converting an eagle of his own on the previous hole. 

Like thousands of other amateurs, I hang on Tiger's every shot.  Every putt convinces me its destination is the cup, every drive 325 yards into the middle of the fairway.  The ability Tiger showed his fans today was consistency and an insatiable desire to win, however he is required to do so.  At Pebble Beach in 2000, he showed us he can shatter record books and humiliate competitors.  At Torrey Pines last June, he showed us he can grind it out, then pull a rabbit out of a hat when the pressure was heaviest.

Today, Tiger Woods reminded his fellow golfers and eager fan-base that he can flat out play golf.  He knows how to beat anyone and everyone, even if it isn't fancy.  He erases the memory of bad holes, replaces bogeys with birdies and wins by working harder than anyone else is willing to work. 

Tiger didn't re-write history today, he merely picked up where he left off by doing what he knows how to do best. 

Winning.