U.S. Open Golf 2010: Is Tiger Woods' Return To Pebble Beach His Antidote?

Tiger Woods has gone through hell since that fateful car "accident" the morning after Thanksgiving.

Of course, he brought it upon himself. But that hell has also permeated his golf game. Tiger hasn't been back for long, but one could argue that the "real" Tiger hasn't actually returned yet.

No one is sure whether it will happen or not, but there is no better time than now for Tiger to return to his throne atop the world of golf.

Why? Simple: Pebble Beach, the location at which Tiger firmly took control of the golf world ten years ago.

Tiger finished the 2000 U.S. Open 12-under-par. He was the first person in the event's history to finish double-digits under par.

In fact, no one else even finished under par at all. His 15-stroke victory brought a whole new meaning to the world dominance.

He didn't just announce that he was the world's best player. He announced that no one else was even on the same planet as him.

Of course, he completely redefined that word again by winning the next three majors to hold all four at once.

Pebble Beach is Tiger's kingdom, and represents a time when he was on top of the world.

Now he is probably as close to rock bottom as you can be as a professional athlete (at least, if your name is Tiger Woods).

So what if Pebble Beach stirs up the ghosts of Tiger's past? What if he suddenly bursts back onto the scene like he did 10 years ago?

There's no reason why he can't.

The U.S. Open hasn't been held at Pebble Beach since that fateful tourney. So, Tiger is on the same playing field as everyone else, whether or not he is rusty. Everyone is a little rusty when it comes to playing at Pebble Beach.

The countless mistresses. All the bad karma. It won't completely go away, maybe not ever.

But a victory at the U.S. Open will certainly supplant all of that when it comes to Tiger.

It would be perhaps the best story since Tiger's dominance in 2000. It would certainly be the most publicized.

I have a feeling that magic aura will come back to him when he steps onto the green at Pebble Beach a few times this weekend.

If it does, would you bet against the former king of golf?

Pebble Beach is Tiger's domain.

It might also be just the antidote he needs to reclaim his domain.