Tiger Woods Foundation

Tiger Woods is Back, Again

/ The Grateful Golfer / 14 Comments

The long-awaited return of one of the greatest golfers of all time is set to make his return at HERO WORLD CHALLENGE, Albany; New Providence, The Bahamas.

Heeding the advice of his doctors and trainers, Woods didn’t rush his recovery, slowly regained his strength, muscle tone, stamina and endurance, and tweaked his swing.

It has been a long process that challenged his patience and work ethic more than ever before. But for the first time in 466 days, Tiger will return to competitive play Thursday in the Hero World Challenge at Albany in New Providence, Bahamas. The event features an elite 18-player field, including six of the top-10 players in the world ranking, and is hosted by the Tiger Woods Foundation.

Now that he is heading back to competitive play, the entire golfing world is wondering if he is here to stay!

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The New Normal in Golf

/ The Grateful Golfer / 7 Comments

The new normal in professional golf is here. The younger players have forced their way to the top of the golfing world with no regrets. The fear of competing against players like Tiger Woods and Phil Mickelson is long gone. The only thing left for these aging superstars is a healthy respect from for the path they blazed in helping to create the new normal.

It is all over the news that Tiger Woods is not playing at the Arnold Palmer Invitational this weekend. Much to the chagrin of legend Arnold Palmer, Woods admits that his game is not ready for the PGA Tour. Only Woods knows for sure, but something tells me that he is right. Woods’ focus is on the Masters in a couple of weeks and I for one believe that is where his focus should be; I hope he is healthy and ready to compete in the first Major of 2015.

Phil Mickelson has not played well for over a year. He has sparks of greatness, but the consistency is just not there. I am a huge Mickelson fan and I am not sure if his game is in as bad a shape as Woods, but he is definitely not the Mickelson of old. I guess I cannot expect him to play like he is 25, but old thoughts die slow.

Not a year ago, I wrote that the old guard were not ready to relinquish the top spots in golf. I am here to say that times have changed; and changed quickly. The new younger players have come out from the shadows of the aging veterans quicker than expected. Each week, a new player rises to the top of the leaderboard to claim the top prize. Maybe this is what we have to look forward too; a different winner each week.

I will have to say that the last nine holes and the four hole playoff last week at the Valspar Golf Championship was extremely exciting. Just when everyone thought Spieth, Reed or O’Hair was out of contention, they made a fantastic shot to recover. It truly was exciting and hopefully we will see more finishes like that one in the future!

It seems every week, there is a new player popping up on the leaderboard. The return of Dustin Johnson is another example of a great young player standing up to be heard. His play since returning to golf has been outstanding and he is now considered a top contender at all the Majors this year. Is it possible that this trend of resurging players can continue through the entire 2015 professional golf season?

Let’s not forget about Rory McIlroy. With a slow start on the PGA Tour this year, he is too talented not be step-up and slay all comers! With only three weeks left before the Masters, the golfing world will see the real McIlroy return to form. I predict it will not happen this weekend at Bay Hill, but within the next three weeks he will start to peak at the right time for Augusta. As per my predictions at the beginning of the year, Rory McIlroy will win the 2015 Masters!

The new normal has arrived in professional golf. Although a few players will continue to win more than most, the days of Tiger Woods and Phil Mickelson crushing the field for years is over. We can expect to see many new winners and even greater challenges for professional golfers to stay at the top of the world rankings.

Personally, I’m excited about the recent changes in golf. Although I will always cheer for Phil Mickelson, I cannot help but embrace the new normal in professional golf!

I am a grateful golfer! See you on the links!

Tiger Woods is Back!

/ The Grateful Golfer / 4 Comments

Tiger Woods PGATiger Woods  will tee it up this Thursday at the Isleworth Golf & Country Club for the 2014 Hero World Challenge. This tournament, which benefits the Tiger Woods Foundation, will be Woods’ first competitive round since failing to make the cut at the PGA Championship last August. Plagued with injuries last year, Woods finished 201 on the money list with just under $110,000 and watched as his world ranking dropped to the lowest level in his entire career! After starting as the world number one in the 2014 professional golf season, he finished at number 24. Regardless, he is back and appears ready to challenge Rory McIlroy as the première player in professional golf.

As Tiger Woods steps back into the limelight, many experts are wondering if his choice of swing coach is a stroke of genius or not. In the big scheme of things, it really does not matter. If Jack Nicklaus himself was Woods’ swing coach, the same question would be asked. The golfing world has anxiously waited for Woods’ return to professional golf and this weekend will be the moment many have waited for!

Personally, I am indifferent to the whole situation. On one hand, I am very happy Tiger Woods is healthy and back playing. On the other hand, golf continued to grow in his absence. There are many superstars on tour today and the days of one dominant player driving professional golf is over. Make no mistake, Woods attracts plenty of publicity, but right now he has name recognition. If his play matches the hype surrounding his return, then the 2015 professional golf season just got more interesting.

Tiger Woods is back. I wish him the best upon his return. I hope he stays healthy and is able to regain his former swing. If he does, he will light up the PGA Tour. Even though he is back, the player I root for has not changed. I am still a big Phil Mickelson fan and look forward to some head to head battles between Phil, Rory and Tiger.

Now that you know what I think, what are your thoughts about Tiger Woods’ return to professional golf?

I am a grateful golfer! See you on the links!

Why Is Tiger Woods Back?

/ The Grateful Golfer / 11 Comments

PGA Tour TPC SawgrassLPGAThe World of Golf is funny! Each week we patiently wait for the PGA Tour or LPGA tournaments so we can cheer, discuss, lament, and ponder about who will rise to the top. Last weekend, the US Women’s Open champion, Michelle Wie, walked away finally playing to her potential! Kevin Streelman shot seven birdies in a row to close out as champion of the Traveller’s Championship. I would suggest that Wie was not a surprise, however Streelman came out of left field considering his late charge. As much as these amazing feats were the talk of the town on Sunday, shortly after the media dropped these young up-starts and focused on the return of Tiger Woods.

The media clamored over each other to cover what they thought was the biggest news story of the week! The discussion about his return to prepare for The Open in 21 days is touted as the primary reason, but somehow the hair on the back of my neck suggests that this may not be the whole truth! There is little doubt that ticket sales and TV viewing is down significantly since Woods’ injury and it is very likely that the Quicken Loans National was also feeling the economic pinch.

The Tiger Woods Foundation is the primary charity of the Quicken Loans National tournament. Without the main draw in golf playing, it is likely the charity was suffering. There is little question that Tiger Woods is still the biggest name in golf and his return is welcomed by most pundits and golfing enthusiasts!

Many of the pundits are quickly throwing their hat into Woods’ ring as a potential winner of this weeks professional tournament, but those expectations are just too high. It is important that he play is way back to being at the top of the golfing heap, but he needs to do it slowly. Preparing for The Open is vital to his personal goals and starting with the Quicken Loans National tournament seems logical and well thought out.

For all the conspiracy enthusiasts out there, it really does not matter why Tiger Woods is back. If the only reason he came back at this time is to raise funds for his foundation, then I give him my full support! At least he is using his powers for good!

Tiger Woods is back. If he stays healthy, and I hope he does, then it is good for golf. He has three weeks of a tough road ahead and as he hones his skills the chance to raise the Claret Jug get better and better.

I am a grateful golfer! See you on the links!