From making runs at multiple tournaments to winning the 2018 Tour Championship, Tiger Woods has proved he can win the fifteenth major of his career. His successes this past season, including five top ten finishes and only two missed cuts in the sixteen tournaments he competed in, opened the eyes of many fans and ultimately himself. Coming back from multiple back surgeries can be tough, but the way Tiger finished this past season makes it seem like he never had any injury at all. With his body feeling as good as it has felt for a long time, he is poised to return to the upcoming 2018-2019 season and give himself the opportunity to capture yet another major championship.
Nick Faldo, a former golfer with multiple major titles, was very surprised when he saw Tiger win the 2018 Tour Championship this past season. “I didn’t think he had a hope in hell of winning another major” Faldo stated, “now you have to say he does. You have to take off your hat and applaud his efforts. His determination to get back is incredible. ” In 2013, Tiger recorded his last top-five finish at a major tournament, The Masters, despite not hitting very many fairways and starting the tournament three over par through two holes. However, he bounced back to shoot 266, his best finish in a major since 2000. The host sites of the first three majors of this upcoming season, Augusta, Bethpage Black, and Pebble Beach, are all courses he has excelled at in the past.
Running Out of Time?
Although his recent success, there are many reasons why some say Tigers hopes of winning another major will not happen. At forty-two years old, there are so many younger and better players on tour that are in much better physical shape than Tiger. After almost having to give up competing on the PGA Tour after his second major back surgery in 2015, he is not in the best shape of his life. So many younger players have an advantage of being able to drive the ball further and straighter than the forty-two-year-old. Although length and accuracy are important off the tee, having a good short game is what you need to win a tournament. If Tiger can become one of the best players on tour around the green, because it comes down to putting the ball in the hole, he will have the greatest chance of winning his fifteenth major title.
What Does the Future Hold?
As the 2018-2019 PGA Tour season rolls around, the future is up in the air for Tiger Woods. Will he let his previous injuries and surgeries get to him and have his career end without winning his fifteenth major title? Or will he carry the momentum from winning the 2018 Tour Championship and hoist another major championship trophy? Tiger has the tools to continue winning tournaments, but he is not going to go anywhere without being mentally focused for the upcoming season. Along with me, the entire golf world is dying to get a glimpse of what Tiger will do this season. If he does win his fifteenth major title, he will make the world of golf exhilarated.
