Masters Results: What Does Tiger Woods' Performance Mean for His Future?

Masters Results: What Does Tiger Woods' Performance Mean for His Future?

Whew.  What a final round at Augusta National.  It was true leaderboard whiplash with as many as seven different players holding the top slot at one time or another. 

Tiger Woods even held the lead, although fleetingly, proving his point of yesterday that he did still have a chance to win.  “Absolutely,” he had said when asked.  He may have been about the only person who believed it at the time, but he was right.  

While neither Tiger Woods nor Phil Mickelson emerged a winner on Sunday, they proved that they still have the stuff, at least on occasion, if not on demand.

Mickelson peaked a week early, it appears, and Woods may have needed another week or two of tournament play to capture that elusive fifth green jacket. 

Several things are certain.  Tiger Woods has not disappeared from major championship golf.  He was four shots out of a playoff at the Masters while having one rather dismal round out of four, two shots out when he finished play.  With apologies to Ian Poulter, he did finish better than fifth, even though it did not look like it was possible at the end of play on Saturday.  For all we know, Poulter’s comments may have sparked Woods’ play just as an article in the Atlanta newspaper in 1986 sparked Nicklaus’ performance then.  

Woods fought hard.  He posted birdies at the second, third, sixth and seventh, and eagled the eighth on the back of a rope hook 3-wood than snaked its way up toward the pin.  He looked very Tiger like.  When he made the turn, Woods was tied for the lead but unfortunately for him, he joined a gaggle of golfers at the same score, -10.  They were all there for most of the back nine.   

The back nine was where Woods did not perform as expected.  He has owned the back nine at Augusta National.  This time, he was human.   

“I should have shot an easy 3- or 4-under on the back nine and I only posted even,” Woods admitted after he completed play.  “I got off to a good start on the front nine and on the back nine didn't putt well and hit one loose iron there at 13.”

Had Woods hit a better shot into the 13^th, he would have had a chance for eagle or birdie.  He wiped a putt at the 12^th for par and posted a bogey.  Birdie at the 13^th and par at the 12^th would have put him in a tie with winner Charl Schwartzel.

A lot of credit for the success of Woods and about five others goes to Rory McIlroy who had his worst day on the golf course round since the second round of the 2010 British Open when he followed a 63 with an 80.  To be fair, he caught the worst of the weather that day.  This time, he caught the worst of first time leading the final round in a major.  It has happened to many others   

Even though McIlroy was still one stroke clear of the field at the 10th tee, it was the 10th that was his undoing.  In case you were under a rock or abducted to another planet without television or Internet coverage, you know his tee shot was in the “cabins” left of the world on 10.  From there, right rough, from there left front of the green.  From there he hit a tree and got to try a similar shot as the fourth.  Finally on the putting surface and mentally shaken, it was a seven for the scorecard, a triple.  He was two out of the lead at when he walked off the green.   

What does all this mean as far as Woods game this year and going forward?

Woods is not 100 percent back to the old Tiger.  But he’s 80 to 90 percent.  He can win with that, if his putting does not desert him.  His putting has been suspect this year, but he has said repeatedly that is because he has been working so hard on his long game.

And there is another reality.  Woods isn’t 22 any more.  He’s 35 going on 36.  He will never get back to pre-knee injuries.  He won’t repeat 2000-2001.  Or even to 2008, when he had three victories before The Masters, finished second there and won the US Open and took an injury time out.  We have, in all likelihood, seen the best of Tiger Woods already.

Paul Azinger said on ESPN’s SportsCenter Sunday that Woods’ is beyond his prime, and while Azinger is certain Woods will still break all the records, he is not going to be better than he has already been.  Curtis Strange agreed.  Age gets everyone.

Jack Nicklaus, the gold standard when it comes to golf, won six majors and 19 tournaments after turning 35.  Fourteen of the titles were before Nicklaus turned 40.  His last victory on the regular tour was the 1986 Masters at age 46.  The year Nicklaus was 40, he won the US Open and the PGA.  Between 40 and 46, he won five times, and three of those were majors.

So enjoy Tiger Woods’ comeback.  Relish in the weeks when he plays well and with purpose.  He may have not more than four or five good, highly competitive seasons left, particularly at major championships.  If he attempts to play the way Vijay Singh did in his 40s, everyone will be surprised.  Then again, Vijay won more in his 40s than anyone else.  It’s a record, and maybe Woods wants that, too.  

Unless otherwise noted, all quotes were obtained by the writer either directly or from official interview transcripts.