Tiger Woods: Anything Less Than Top 3 Finish at Augusta Is an Epic Fail

The expectations for Tiger Woods are unlike those for any other golfer. After his first tournament victory in over two years, oddsmakers have erected Woods as the 11/2 favorite to win the Masters.

Before his recent struggles, no one would have batted an eye at Tiger being the favorite—it was common place. Tiger's dominance had so distorted the way we view success in the sport, we were shocked and disappointed when he didn't win.

Casual fans really didn't get it. Tiger would play three tournaments in a row, finish in the top three in each and fans would wonder aloud, "I wonder what's wrong with Tiger?" Never mind the fact that Tiger has the third-most PGA tour wins in history and that his win percentage of 26.8 in PGA events is the highest of all active golfers.

Casual fans don't understand that, but the fact that they are even watching is the truest testament to his appeal. This is also why his expectations are so high and unfair. If any other golfer in the world had gone through the physical and personal setbacks Tiger has, the shouts of their demise would not have been nearly as loud.

Washington Post columnist Tracee Hamilton wrote this in her entry entitled "Tiger Wood's Days of Dominance Might Be History":

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Is Tiger Woods finished as a golfer? No. Is he finished as Tiger Woods? Sadly, I think the answer is yes. I don’t see how Woods can ever again be as dominant as he once was, before his knee and his personal life fell apart.

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Hamilton is not alone in this sentiment. Even EA Sports seems to be slowly transitioning Tiger off the cover of the game that bears his name:

The 2011 version of the game didn't even feature him on the cover. It is possible that the win at Chevron has given enough hope to EA that now he at least shares the cover with the young, up-and-coming Rickie Fowler.

This transition is partly due to the bad press Woods received through his divorce and infidelity, but it has snowballed with struggles on the course.

If Tiger isn't even in the hunt on the final day and he finishes out of the top three, it will be a major setback. People will go back to saying that "he'll never be Tiger again" and that "his dominance is over."

Is that fair? Not at all. But this is Tiger Woods, the scale is different.