Is Tiger Woods the Greatest Closer Ever?

History will ultimately define Tiger Woods as the greatest closer that the game of golf has ever seen. Recent history, however, suggests that he has lost some of that closing power in the wake of physical injury, personal saga and swing retooling. That said, Sunday’s final round will tell us whether this Tiger Woods is a return to the past, or a lot of more of the recent same.

There’s no question that when Woods was winning his 14 major championships (1997 to 2008), just a share of the lead late Saturday and into Sunday meant the tournament was over, caput, a done deal even. During that run, which culminated in his greatest finish ever at the 2008 U.S. Open, which he won in a 19-hole playoff on a broken leg, Tiger never lost a major when leading or co-leading to start the final round.

Yet modern day Tiger can’t claim to be that same dominant closer that really has had no rival during his career or even before it. In the 2009 PGA Championship, he lost a fourth-round lead in a major to Y.E. Yang of all people. In 2012, he had a share of the 36-hole lead at the U.S. Open and the PGA Championship only to fade out of contention over the weekend at both events. This year, he’s struggled on the back nine of each of his victories, losing chunks of large leads before holding on for victory.

There’s no doubting Tiger has improved his swing, his short-game and his mind, but there’s also no denying those three things have failed him in recent past and even during his three rounds at Augusta this week. On Friday, Woods claimed a share of the lead at five-under with a trio of front-nine birdies before his struggles on the back nine, including his bogey-turned-triple on the par-five 15th that left him five shots behind heading into Saturday.

Woods showed fortitude Saturday by dismissing the controversy surrounding him for a faulty Friday drop to shoot two-under 70 and stay within reach of leaders Angel Cabrera and Brandt Snedeker. Yet he will need much more than tenacity and grit Sunday to climb the four-shot deficit in front of him and prove he is the Tiger of old and the closer he was just four years ago.

The fact is, as great a closer Woods has been, he’s not been much of a chaser. Tiger has never won a major championship when trailing entering the final round and hasn't really come close to erasing that fact during the past four years of his struggling career. Given that, it’s certainly asking a lot for him to rally from four shots behind Sunday considering the talent of the seven players between him and another green jacket.

Yet this is Tiger and even today the man thrives on being told he can’t do something he has to, especially in major championships. In the 2011 Masters, Woods erased a seven-shot Sunday deficit on Augusta’s first nine to tie the lead before fading on the second nine to finish a distant four shots behind.

The performance showed both that Woods still has that closing game in him but also that he just hasn't been able to summon it all the way since 2008.

To catch the leaders Sunday, Tiger will need a similar front nine to 2011’s five-under 31 to get into contention heading into Augusta’s thrilling back nine. If he manages to do that, then the real test for this edition of Tiger will come. Can he summon that closer instinct he had for so long that now seems so long ago, or will he again fade as the shadows grow at Augusta National for yet another time?

Whatever happens Sunday, it won’t erase the accomplishments Woods owns. Yet a charge to victory will significantly enhance his legendary closing status while another disappointing finish will continue its recent fade. Whichever showing materializes, it will certainly help define another scintillating Sunday at Augusta National.