Reasons I Believed Tiger Would Return At Doral

I think it's going too much of a grind.

That was my thinking, too. Must be why he's Tiger and I'm not (way to go, Dad!)

Ron Mon,

Many of Woods' fans are of the opinion that he will be back better than ever, that his "injury" has healed and there will be no ill effects.

They are mistaken for these reasons.

First of all,Tiger was not injured. The surgery on his knee was undoubtedly due to degeneration of the joint, probably an inherited condition.

A good friend of mine who is an orthopedic surgeon says that it is highly unusual for a person only 32 years old to have need of total reconstructive ACL surgery.

Tiger's knee has not healed. Rather, he now has an entirely different knee, a stainless steel prosthesis with teflon bearings that was hammered into femur on one end and his tibia on the other.

Another ominous factor in Tiger's physical makeup is that it is quite common for a person who has undergone total knee replacement surgery on one knee to develop the same condition on the other knee.

Woods had previously attempted to have his affliction cured with arthroscopic knee surgery at least twice, but which proved to be merely a stop gap measure, and not successful at all.

This is not to say we have seen the end of Tiger, just that his admirers shouldn't expect too much in the way of miracles just yet.

If his upper body strength and hand-eye coordination are still there, and his grit and tenacity remain, he'll still be a force on the PGA tour.

But will his game be the same? I don't believe so. By necessity it will be different, which still will probably be good enough for some more wins and high placings.

Alex USMC 1969-73

Alex, making absolute statements like "They are mistaken for these reasons." in unknown situations is foolish. I agree with what you said though. You might be better served with "They are probably mistaken for these reasons." What makes Tiger #1 isn't his long straight drives or pin point iron shots, it's his uncanny ability to make the lowest possible score on every hole from wherever he hits it. I've wondered for years how long he can continue to do that. So, I think his career so far has been beyond belief and for that reason expectations may be too high.

Oliver Sudden,

Your concern with my assuredness has been duly noted and will be dealt with at the next meeting of the board of directors. :-)

Seriously, an example of over-the-top expectations for Woods can be found in the postings of my friend, Will K.

Recently, I said that if Tiger were to play ten events in 2009 and make all the cuts, that should be considered reasonable success. I added that a win by Woods would be remakable.

But Willie went much further. He then said that he figured Tiger to win twice during the 2009 season and to finish the year with a major victory. That would be three victories in ten tournaments, a thirty percent win ratio which is about the same as his win percentage for his entire career.

Now, I don't know if he is joking or not, but in his latest blog Willie flatly predicts Woods will win the Masters.

Tiger has shown to be a gritty competitor and he may well pull off a miracle by winning both the Accenture and the Masters, but common sense would bet against such an outcome.

Alex USMC 1969-73

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