Tiger Woods' Return to Form Makes Him Favorite Entering Memorial Championship

There isn't a hotter golfer on the PGA Tour right now than Tiger Woods, who is undeniably the favorite to win the 2013 Memorial Championship this weekend.

He'll be paired with Fred Couples for the first two days, according to the Golf Channel, and you can be sure the crowds surrounding these two golf giants will be massive:

Woods has won four tournaments in six stroke-play starts on the PGA Tour thus far in 2013, and he's finished in the top five in all but one.

Let that sink in for a moment. 

He's winning 66.6 percent of his starts this year—video-game numbers, by any measure—and came agonizingly close to winning this year's Masters with a finish in fourth place.

He's No. 1 on tour in putting and scoring—among other key statistics.

We haven't seen Woods dominate like this since 2009 when he won six tournaments, and it's clear his nearly four-year run of mediocrity—relatively speaking—is at an end. 

As Lee Westwood recently put it, via Dave Shedloski of GolfDigest.com, "I don't think he's on the verge of [a crazy run], I think he's in one."

Factor in Woods' exceptional record at the Memorial, having won Jack Nicklaus' signature tournament five times in the past, and you have a recipe for utter domination this upcoming weekend. 

Nicklaus recently spoke to reporters about Woods' success at his tournament, via Shedloski: "Tiger seems to play very well here. He's got several golf courses he plays well at: Pebble, St. Andrews, Augusta ... plays well at Bay Hill. I'm delighted that this is one of the golf courses that he likes."

Simply put, Woods owns this tournament. It's as if there's some mysterious magic at work when Woods tees off at Muirfield Village Golf Club.

Who can forget his glorious hole-out from the shaggy rough on No. 16 last year with the tournament on the line? It was one of the most difficult shots you'll ever see pulled off under pressure, and it will be replayed every year on Sunday at this prestigious tournament.

Perhaps Woods is so keen to perform well because it's Jack's tournament. After all, it wouldn't be hard to argue that Tiger is the most competitive personality on the PGA Tour, and he's never been shy about making his desire to beat Nicklaus' major championship record known.

Even though the Memorial isn't a major championship, it's still one of the most prestigious annual tournaments on the PGA Tour. It's one Woods makes a point to participate in, and it's one of his favorites to win.

The expectation this year is that Woods will win.

His stellar play of late has elevated our expectations for him, and we all know he expects to win every tournament he enters. The only thing left to do now is to see what kind of magic Woods can conjure at this year's Memorial Championship. 

Chances are, Woods will win his sixth title at Nicklaus' signature event.

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