Tiger Woods: Why Tiger Will Win a Major in 2012

As Tiger Woods finished off Aaron Baddeley 4 and 3 to clinch the Presidents Cup for the United States, golf fans can't help but think, is he back this time?

Historically speaking, Tiger experienced one of the biggest falls from grace. He was on top of the world, and he was regarded as one of the greatest athletes of any sport. Tiger's fist-pump is as mainstreamed as Michael Jordan's tongue.

He was the epitome of perfection.   

Yet, Tiger's personal actions have overshadowed his accomplishments. He lost his mental edge, which led to a steep decline in his overall performance. It has been a while since we have seen a "Tiger charge." There have been glimpses, such as the 2011 Masters, until he three-putted the 12th hole and failed to convert a four-foot eagle putt on the 15th hole.

That simply would never have happened to the old Tiger.

Many people look at Tiger now and see a broken man who has lost everything. This makes it easy to lose sight of what he used to be.

Players feared Tiger. Mid-round, they would constantly check the leaderboard to see where he was. The player who was matched up with Tiger needed to prepare for the golf course and for 20,000 people watching their every move.

Tiger thrived on this atmosphere; he lived for pressure. That's what made Tiger so special. No matter what was going on around him, Tiger could always minimize the moment and seize it.

As far as Tiger has fallen, and it has been pretty far, there are still a significant amount of golf fans who refuse to believe that he has reached the end. To many, it seems improbable, maybe even impossible, that one of the best golfers to ever pick up a set of clubs has lost his game forever. They search for any glimmer of hope to hold onto, and the Presidents Cup has provided it. 

Tiger played extremely well all week, and he vindicated Fred Couples' decision. His swing looked much more compact. He hit fairways consistently. His putting, while still shaky at times, was on point on Sunday.

Most importantly, Tiger had that look in his eye. For the first time in a long time, he was confident in himself that he could win. And he did. 

Tiger must play in a few smaller tournaments before he goes into a major. He must remember how to put together four rounds of golf, and he must remember how to win. Three years ago, this article could not have even been imagined by anyone. Tiger trying to remember how to win. That's like Pujols trying to remember how to hit. 

But there was something different about Tiger during the last round of the Presidents Cup. His confidence is returning, which has been the missing ingredient for the past two-plus years.

Tiger has been working tirelessly on his game, sometimes even playing 54 holes a day to get back into a groove. He says he feels healthy for the first time in a while. 

Tiger will be back on the prowl on 2012, and expect him to look like the Tiger of old. His career is far from over, and he is out to prove every critic wrong.

Tiger is motivated, healthy and confident. This, combined with his physical ability to play golf, will lead to something that we haven't seen out of Tiger since 2009.

Winning.