There are three categories of Tigers following the play of the one born Eldrick in the Hero World Challenge. The Tiger-haters think what he accomplished over the last four days doesn't mean anything. The Tigers-in-the-middle aren't really sure what they witnessed and their opinions are guarded. And, the smart ones, the Tiger-lovers, know they have seen something extraordinary from their hero.

    Putting Rickie Fowler's miraculous final round aside, let's focus on what Tiger accomplished. Against the best players in North America, and several of the best from overseas, Tiger finished tied for ninth at 8 under par, just six shots behind runner-up Charley Hoffman, and four out of third place. That alone is incredible. considering (a) what he went through over the past 10 months, and (b) the fact that if there was a poll taken before the event, 80 percent of the voters would probably have picked him to finish in the bottom three in the 18-player field. 

    And who finished behind him? Justin Thomas, Dustin Johnson, Brooks Koepka, Daniel Berger and Henrik Stenson, among others. The U. S. Open champ and four others who have won a slew of tournaments in the past year. 

    What made Tiger's performance so memorable is that it could have been so much better. He missed a couple of very short putts. He hit a drive 10 yards off the fairway and it landed on a beach that had been trampled by spectators and the ball was so buried he had virtually no chance of getting it to the green. He had one drive that landed in a divot and he took a double bogey. And he had several par-fives where he hit his second shots like rockets and he went over the green in two. It takes three hands to count the number of good birdie putts he stroked that dribbled over the edge of the cup and failed to drop.

    And what about distance? He hit it as long or longer than anybody he played with. 

    Tiger is back.

    The haters will cringe. But the old spark will return to the PGA Tour, the TV ratings will soar, and the announcers and other players will feel an energy they haven't felt for a while. And, if his back doesn't give way, Tiger Woods will break Sam Snead's record of 82 Tour victories, maybe even Jack's record of 18 Majors. If there's one other thing he showed in the Bahamas, 42-year-olds can look just as young as 30-year-olds. 

    By the way, the Tiger Woods Foundation will receive Tiger's check for $122,500 to help in its charitable endeavors.  

     

 

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