Presidents Cup 2011: Tiger Woods' Final Day Performance Will Carry over to 2012

Tiger Woods officially played clutch golf in the final day of an event, as the Americans took home the 2011 Presidents Cup on Sunday in Australia.

Woods struggled in the first days of the event, but poured it on when it mattered most. It was a confidence-building performance that he will carry with him into 2012.

His final day performance not only lifted his spirits, but lifted the Americans as a whole. They either thought, “Hey, we have THAT guy on our team when he is at his best now; there is no way we are losing,” or they thought “Oh, shoot, is he back?”

Woods birdied five of the first 11 holes on the day, which resulted in a 4-3 victory over Aaron Baddeley. Who was it that secured the event-clinching point? Woods.

“I heard he played like the Tiger of old today,” captain Fred Couples said. “I think he showed to himself that his swing is back and he’s healthy.”

You hate to overreact, especially with Woods, but how could his reign of being just an average golfer continue?  Could he have possibly fallen this far in a matter of a few years? It won’t last. It can’t last.

He was unquestionably the best golfer of his generation, and possibly of all time, but his success isn’t over yet. He has more championships ahead of him because he is that good.

There is no way the best player in a sport could fall that fast into mediocrity. Golfing is like bowling; age isn’t an issue as long as you can be consistent. Tiger isn’t consistent on the tee, on the green, etc. If he could grab that consistency from the beginning of a tournament, he will be back on top of his game by 2012.

Confidence is invaluable in golf. When you golf with that sense of swagger, it really pushes your game to the next level. With Woods not only experiencing victory at a tournament, but clinching the game-winning point, I think that will have a major impact on his confidence level heading into next year.

He hasn’t been confident in the past few years, it’s been apparent. Now that he is smiling, having a good time on the golf course and experiencing the joy of winning, Woods will be back to where the sport wants him to be, and that is on top of the mountain.

Look out, golf world, Mr. Woods will be a force in 2012.