Is the 2012 Tiger One to Be Reckoned With?

    

      For his sake, let's hope this is the case. Woods had a pretty non descript 2011 until his win at the Chevron World Challenge in December. It was painful to watch him golf at times in the calendar years of 2010 and 2011. Until his first victory on the eve of the 2012 PGA Tour season, Woods' bumpy career became a riddle wrapped inside an enigma and was very frustrating for golf fans around the world to absorb. But we might have found an answer to the mystery as Woods gives us insight into the funk that could have defined his career.

      He told The Associated Press by email that he has fully recovered from the leg injuries that ruined much of last season. He also hopes his recent victory at the Chevron World Challenge in California is the ``start of another great run.''

   It is not easy for golfers to play well for a casual round of golf when you can barely walk let alone play 18 holes at a world class level and that is what Woods was facing.

``The lowest moments (last year) came from the fact that I wasn't healthy and couldn't put in the time on and off the course that I wanted and needed to, and that was frustrating,'' Woods said. ``I was playing with pain and that isn't fun. The last couple of months have been really fun and that is mostly because I am feeling healthy again and building week on week.''

   Perhaps a smart strategy is for him to play overseas as he is doing this week in Abu Dhabi against a world class field that is largely skipping the first PGA Tour event in order to play in the Middle East.  Woods will tee off with top level players such as U.S. Open champion Rory McIlroy, top-ranked Luke Donald and defending champion Martin Kaymer. This is an excellent tune-up for the 14 time major championship winner. Woods also was a major factor at the President's Cup in Melbourne and finished third in the Australian Open in the waning weeks of 2011.



      What Woods saw during his downturn is that the game of golf waits for no one and that includes players who stumble no matter what the reason. Whether it has humbled Woods remains to be seen but he is saying the right things.

``There are so many great and talented players in the game right now - it is exciting for golf fans and I relish the challenge of going head-to-head with any number of the leading players on a Sunday afternoon,'' Woods said. ``Rory and Luke are both very talented golfers and I admire what they have achieved in the last year. I look forward to having many great battles on a Sunday afternoon with these great players in 2012.''

     But can Woods regain the No. 1 ranking he held for so long? Woods now sits 23rd in the world and no one cares if you are second let alone a pedestrian number for a player that may have more world class golf left in him.  ``The young guys coming through are practicing harder and training harder than ever before and raising the bar,'' Woods said. ``I think the level of consistency I had a few years ago would see me climb back up the rankings pretty quickly, but I do think there are some pretty phenomenal golfers out there that I really respect.''

   Now that he is no longer seen as invincible the climb he is attempting to make may be more incredible than when he burst on the scene in 1997 because he has both stood on the mountain top and has gazed at it from the valley. The courage is attempting to do it when many men would count their money and accolades and just walk away.