Players Championship 2013: Tiger Woods' Victory Proves He'll Win Major This Year

The last time Tiger Woods won four PGA events before June, he went on to bring the phrase "Tiger Slam" into the golf lexicon. 

I don't think Tiger will repeat that historic feat of winning four straight majors, but his win at The Players Championships on Sunday at Sawgrass proved to me that this year will not pass without Woods claiming a major. 

Woods has been in fantastic form this season, but when he finished fourth at the Masters, I was convinced he wouldn't win a major this year. 

It wasn't as much due to his performance, but because the courses that were on tap did not suit Woods' strengths well. While Woods had been great this year, he had been so on courses which set up well for his game. 

That's all changed now. Woods had not won at Sawgrass since 2001 and Sunday was just his second top-10 finish in that span. 

Sawgrass places a premium on driving accuracy and Tiger has been shaky off the tee for a long time now. Even as he's been playing phenomenally this year, he is still just 129th in driving accuracy at 57.7 percent (via PGATour.com).

That inaccuracy cost Tiger at The Honda Classic where he placed a season-worst 37th. That came at the PGA National Resort and Spa where there is an emphasis on accuracy so I assumed Tiger would be headed towards a similar fate at not only the Players, but also at the remaining majors.

Let's take a look at the venues left on the majors calendar and I'll expand on why I'm convinced Tiger will win at least one of these.  

U.S. Open

Where: East Course of the Merion Golf Club, Par 70, 6,996 yards

Tiger has never played at the Merion Golf Club, but right off the bat, we see it isn't well-suited to his game. At par-70, there are only two par-fives. Typically, par-five dominance is at the heart of Tiger's great performances.

However, this course also places a premium on accuracy and since this is the U.S. Open, we know the rough will be brutal.

British Open

Where: Muirfield, Par 71, 7,034 yards 

Woods already has one British Open at Muirfield under his belt, that coming in 2002 when he finished in 28th at even-par. He finished six strokes behind winner Ernie Els.

However, Woods fired an 81 in Round 3 that year. He would have cruised to victory with just an even-par day. That would suggest Woods has the game to dominate, right? Not really. Tiger was far more reliable off the tee in those days. 

This course won't destroy players for inaccuracy like Merion likely will at the U.S. Open, but it also limits the advantage of length and there are just three par-fives. Again, not ideal for Tiger.

PGA Championship

Where: Oak Hill Country Club, Par 70, 7,134 yards

In the 2003 PGA Championship at Oak Hill, Tiger finished 12 strokes off the pace for 39th place at 12-under.

After the tournament, the Oak Hill website quoted Tiger as saying, "(Oak Hill) is the hardest, fairest golf course the players have ever played."

Again, it is another par-70, which is not great for Woods and this course has fairly tight fairways.

The three majors left this year will take place at three courses that are far less than ideal for Tiger. As he has shown on numerous occasions, however, when he is in his groove, he can win anywhere. He just hadn't done so since his hiatus and the reshaping of his swing. 

His win at the Players Championship proved he has found that groove.

At Sawgrass, Woods hit 67.9 percent of his fairways (via PGATour.com). This is easily his best mark this season. However, with a driving distance of 288.4 (via PGATour.com), he was below his season average and posted his second-shortest mark for a tournament this season. 

That is because Woods was playing smart off the tee. He left the driver in the bag more often than not and was hitting the ball to strategic positions off the tee. 

Woods has always been a great game manager, but it is the excellence of his play that allows him to really lay back off the tee. 

Woods is stroking his irons and when he misses the green on his approach, his short game is dialed in. He also leads the Tour in strokes gained-putting (again via PGATour.com). 

There is no need for Woods to go for broke off the tee when simply a series of well-placed tee shots will lead to plenty of birdies. 

This past week, Woods showed the world—and more importantly, his competitors—that he is dialed in enough to manage any course, even the ones that aren't well-suited to his game. 

He should further prove that point by ending his five-year majors drought before the end of the year.