Tiger Woods: Why New Caddie Won't Single-Handedly Swing Tiger Back to Prominence

Tiger Woods returns to the golf course for the first time since the PGA Championship tomorrow at the Frys.com Open, and he's bringing along his new caddie, Joe LaCava.

LaCava, the former caddie of Dustin Johnson, decided to work with Woods after the golf great notoriously fired long-time caddie Steve Williams in June.

Perhaps Woods just needed a change, something to make it feel like things were different than they had been since late 2009. Perhaps it wasn't a slight or placing of blame on Williams at all, but merely something to invigorate him.

But what Woods needs to understand is that Williams was a great caddie, who at least should share part in Woods' success throughout his career. There's a chance he will never create the bond with LaCava that he once had with Williams.

Above all, Woods needs to understand that a change in a caddie won't miraculously bring him back from the depths. No, that's all on him. If Woods really wants to get back to playing solid golf, he needs to improve the mental aspect of his game that has been suffering for oh so long. The only person who can improve that is Tiger Woods.

I'm not saying that LaCava won't have any hand in Woods' rise if he does get out of this funk; I'm saying that LaCava isn't the answer. The answer can only be found from within.

After the PGA Championship, in which Woods missed the cut with rounds of 77 and 73, Woods said, via The Irish Times:

“I think it’s a step back in the sense that I didn’t make the cut and I’m not contending in the tournament.

“But it’s a giant leap forward in the fact that I played two straight weeks, healthy. That’s great for our practice sessions coming up. We are going to be able to work and get after it."

To me, this came off as denial. Sure, Woods was healthy, that's always a good thing. But it's not a "giant leap forward" just because he's healthy. It will be a giant leap forward when he starts winning rounds.

For Woods, just like any other superstar athlete, it's always hard to level with yourself because you've been up in the clouds for so long.

But I just hope, for Woods' sake, that he looks inside himself first and foremost before he starts looking to his new caddie.