When Fred Couples picked Tiger Woods as one of his wild cards, everyone who wondered what had come over Couples, because the former world No.1 was going through the worst period of his career when he got Freddie’s vote of confidence.
A lot was said by fans and the media, who thought Keegan Bradley would have been a better choice since he was not only in better shape, but had won twice in 2011, including the PGA Championship.
Nonetheless, Couples stood by Tiger and defended his decision. At the end, Tiger finished in style.
Adjustments Are Paying off
After battling with the adjustments and new drills he had been working on with Sean Foley, Tiger finally showed improvement and even seemed comfortable with his swing and putting.
True, the first couple of days were not any different from what we have seen lately, but over the weekend Woods played some of his best
There’s Room for Improvement
During the week, everyone noticed how Tiger’s game turned around and improved gradually. It has been a couple of tough years, but last week everyone caught a glimpse of what Woods used to be.
On Thursday’s foursome matches, along with Steve Stricker, not only did they tie the worse score in the event’s history, they could not score a single birdie.
By Sunday, in singles, he sank five of them.
His Mentality Is Getting Stronger
Despite having his worst start in Presidents Cup play since 2005, when he also lost the opening foursomes along with Fred Couples, Woods overcame adversity. His performance improved and by Sunday, he was so focused that his game proved it.
Since the Australian Open, a week prior to the Presidents Cup, and former caddie Steve Williams’ comments, Tiger demonstrated how much he’s been working on his psyche and has remained calm and relaxed with media, crowds and fellow players.
His Confidence Is Returning
Tiger might have been working hard towards becoming the best, but what he needed desperately was a vote of confidence, as big as the one Freddie gave him.
Moreover, media scrutiny went from focusing on how bad he was playing to how much improvement he had made in the last couple of weeks. This translated into a more laid back and confident Tiger, one who has not been seen in a while.
He Is Not Done Yet
It is true: we can not say Woods is back for good and that he will win five-plus tournaments next year, just because he had a Tiger-esque round. Nonetheless, he demonstrated that he has both the game and the passion to make a comeback.
Woods needs to keep working to gain consistency and reclaim the spot he once owned. He’s getting there and if he continues to take baby steps, we might see him back in the winners’ circle next year.
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