It feels so good to be back! It has been months since the pages of Tha Weatha Report have been seen, but now is the time to dust off the old keyboard and see if Tha WeathaMan still knows how to do this. I apologize for leaving you for so long, but sometimes even the most dedicated sports fan has to take a step back. Now come here and give your old pal a hug and journey with me through another forecast on the world of sports. As you may have guessed from the title and picture, Mr. Tiger Woods is today's focus.
The last time Tiger Woods graced this report was almost exactly a year ago (conveniently linked here for your enjoyment). At that point the golf world was all abuzz over Tiger and his lead in the Arnold Palmer Invitational tournament. Tha WeathaMan, on the other hand, was not impressed. Don't get me wrong, I love a Tiger Woods' tournament win as much as the next fan. The game of golf needs Tiger and I'm fully aware of that. But I wasn't fooled. I knew Tiger was still inconsistent, and his play for the rest of the season proved that. In 2013 however, Tiger looks different. He's won twice already this year as we head into the race for the green jacket. However, isn't this the same thing that happened last year? Tiger won a tournament that he's won seven times, became the de facto favorite to win the Masters, and then proceeded to go to Augusta and shoot +5 on his way to a 40th place finish.
This year Tiger wins a tournament that he's won seven times, becomes the prohibitive favorite to win the Masters, and then goes to Augusta and....well, we'll just have to see how that sentence gets finished now won't we? Also, lets not pretend that Tiger isn't a favorite to win whatever tournament he enters. I mean, the man won a tournament with a broken leg! Most of us get a paper cut at work and start looking for the first aid kit. If Tiger Woods is breathing, he is the favorite to win that weekend. The biggest difference between the Tiger Woods of today and the Tiger Woods of 1999-2006 is that he no longer wins tournaments just by showing up. The unbeatable aura that Woods once held over the rest of the PGA Tour has been decimated. He actually has to outplay a few golfers these days. No worries, if I was a betting man I would still place my money on red....as in the championship red shirt that Tiger dons on final round Sundays.
So what does this all mean? Well simply put, I think Tiger should be the favorite at this point. He's the only golfer with multiple victories on tour so far and his short game has finally looked consistent. He's driving the ball with accuracy and outside of two rounds (one at Abu Dhabi and the other at the Honda Classic) he has looked good on the greens. With the exception of Brandt Snedeker, good ol' Eldrick has been on his own level as far as consistent players this year. But the days of Tiger showing up and dominating a major are over. Right? At the end of the day, isn't that the beauty of Tiger Woods? Even when you don't necessarily want to believe that the return of the man, myth, and legend is upon us he does something that makes us stand up and take notice. Well, consider us on notice Mr. Woods. We eagerly await your response.
The last time Tiger Woods graced this report was almost exactly a year ago (conveniently linked here for your enjoyment). At that point the golf world was all abuzz over Tiger and his lead in the Arnold Palmer Invitational tournament. Tha WeathaMan, on the other hand, was not impressed. Don't get me wrong, I love a Tiger Woods' tournament win as much as the next fan. The game of golf needs Tiger and I'm fully aware of that. But I wasn't fooled. I knew Tiger was still inconsistent, and his play for the rest of the season proved that. In 2013 however, Tiger looks different. He's won twice already this year as we head into the race for the green jacket. However, isn't this the same thing that happened last year? Tiger won a tournament that he's won seven times, became the de facto favorite to win the Masters, and then proceeded to go to Augusta and shoot +5 on his way to a 40th place finish.
This year Tiger wins a tournament that he's won seven times, becomes the prohibitive favorite to win the Masters, and then goes to Augusta and....well, we'll just have to see how that sentence gets finished now won't we? Also, lets not pretend that Tiger isn't a favorite to win whatever tournament he enters. I mean, the man won a tournament with a broken leg! Most of us get a paper cut at work and start looking for the first aid kit. If Tiger Woods is breathing, he is the favorite to win that weekend. The biggest difference between the Tiger Woods of today and the Tiger Woods of 1999-2006 is that he no longer wins tournaments just by showing up. The unbeatable aura that Woods once held over the rest of the PGA Tour has been decimated. He actually has to outplay a few golfers these days. No worries, if I was a betting man I would still place my money on red....as in the championship red shirt that Tiger dons on final round Sundays.
So what does this all mean? Well simply put, I think Tiger should be the favorite at this point. He's the only golfer with multiple victories on tour so far and his short game has finally looked consistent. He's driving the ball with accuracy and outside of two rounds (one at Abu Dhabi and the other at the Honda Classic) he has looked good on the greens. With the exception of Brandt Snedeker, good ol' Eldrick has been on his own level as far as consistent players this year. But the days of Tiger showing up and dominating a major are over. Right? At the end of the day, isn't that the beauty of Tiger Woods? Even when you don't necessarily want to believe that the return of the man, myth, and legend is upon us he does something that makes us stand up and take notice. Well, consider us on notice Mr. Woods. We eagerly await your response.
Quick Hits
- DeAndre Jordan should be ashamed of what he did to Brandon Knight. It was the first dunk I've seen in a while where I said to myself "He just took that man's soul." See for yourself
- I've held firm from the beginning that I felt the Lakers would make the playoffs. If they can make it to the 6th seed they have a shot against the 3rd seed (probably Clippers).
- NFL free agency is set to kick off shortly. Mike Wallace will be the big winner. Surprised more attention isn't being given to Greg Jennings and Aqib Talib
- I'm looking forward to this year's NCAA tournament more than any in recent memory. There are about 10 teams that could have a legitimate shot at becoming the National Champion.
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