Will Rest of Tour Seize Chance to Step out of Tiger Woods' Shadow?

Tiger Woods' next comeback is officially underway, and it provides the golf world with the perfect opportunity to step out of his shadow for the first time in over a decade. 

After nearly five months of inactivity (the brief return at The Players' Championship notwithstanding), Woods has fully healed from the hamstring and Achilles tendon injuries that have dogged him and is set to return at the  WGC-Bridgestone Invitational this weekend. 

With his comeback imminent, one of Woods' competitors, German Martin Kaymer told reporters on Tuesday that he felt golf still needs Tiger to thrive around the world. 

Per Kaymer (according to a Pro Golf Talk report):

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“I really hope that he will win soon because we need that again. I think the PGA Tour needs that, as well, to get golf going in the world,” Kaymer said Tuesday at the WGC Bridgestone Invitational.

“Obviously what Rory did at the U.S. Open was huge already. But Tiger, he has been so successful over the years, I don’t know, seven, eight years he was No. 1 in the world, and now he’s in the mid 30s. It will be great if he comes back and shows us all or proves that he’s the best player who ever played that game.”

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While Kaymer's sentiments are completely accurate, they also show us why golf still needs Woods. Kaymer is one of the best golfers in the world, currently ranked third on the planet in the World Golf Rankings. He's the defending PGA Champion, and is one of golf's rising young stars.

But clearly, golf isn't at a point where its popularity can subsist without Tiger in the mix. 

Just look at the last two years; as Woods' game has flagged, so have ratings across the sport. Interest in golf nosedived without Woods as a factor, only to pick up again the second he started to come back at the Masters this spring. 

As of now, Woods remains the only golfer on tour capable of capturing the public's attention and getting mainstream sports fans actively involved in the sport. Whether you're rooting for him or against him, you can't help but tune in to watch what he's going to do when he's at the height of his powers. 

Kaymer may be right about Tiger being what golf needs, but he's only telling half the story. There's plenty of non-Tiger talent on tour, lots of players with the skill to become fantastic players in the very near future. But none of them have upped their game to the point where they can come close to Tiger's charisma or popularity. 

The talent is there; just look at Rory McIlroy. The 21-year-old Irishman captured our attention in much the same way a young Eldrick Tont Woods did back in 1997 in his runs at both the Masters and the U.S. Open. Golf's brightest young stars have the talent and the likability to get the sport out from under its dependence on Woods for the first time in recent history.

But until McIlroy and the rest of the Tour's young guns actually beat a re-vamped Tiger, it can't happen. We've already seen the rumblings from fans; "Sure, he's good, but he can't beat Tiger when he's on his game," "Tiger would kick him around like a soccer ball". 

The reason golf struggles without Tiger is because to this day, no one can beat Woods when he's clicking. No one has stood up to Woods when he's healthy and firing on all cylinders and beaten him. 

Until McIlroy, Kaymer, or even someone like Jason Day or Rickie Fowler steps up his game to beat Tiger on his best day, golf can't get out of his shadow. He'll remain the dominant force on Tour, always lurking behind success, always causing fans to wonder if someone is actually good enough to match Tiger. 

Kaymer's right; the PGA Tour does need Woods, but not for ratings. If they want to get out of his shadow, they need to beat Tiger when he's at his best, when he's winning trophies and breaking records, not when he's hurting and shanking and flubbing putts. 

Woods' comeback has given the PGA Tour's best youngsters a chance to man up, to stand up and up their games. The time for excuses is officially over when Woods starts winning again (and he will win again). It's time for Kaymer and McIlroy to lead the charge and up their games, or they risk being trapped in Woods' massive shadow for the rest of their careers.