Of Tiger, the majors and a slow-burning rivalry

“It’s like riding a bike. When you have won the tournaments he has won and have had the career he has had, it’s always going to be in there. He just needed to dig deep and find it. Nerves are a big part of the game, and even he gets nervous. Yet he was certainly in control on that Sunday at Bay Hill.”

– Mark O’Meara on Tiger Woods ahead of the Masters in April 2012

O’Meara knew Woods better than many on the golfing circuit due the former’s influence in the early stages of Woods’ career. After clinching his first PGA tour win at the Bay Hill since his return from the forgettable sabbatical from the sport, fans and media alike from every corner of the globe have been compelled to bank on this American genius to write an unfathomably exquisite script of a sporting comeback. Yet here we are, still waiting for that major milestone that could potentially fuel Tiger for another prolific decade ahead.

After an early season stuttering, Woods did surge through the rankings and on the tournament leaderboards during an encouraging season, yet appreciation from every quadrant have been in sparse numbers. It could be because competitiveness on the golf course has been taking a toll on Woods for the first time in his career and a visible portrayal of mortality is haunting his sheer identity in the golfing world – this was certainly not the Tiger that went on an exile to reinvigorate his hunger to succeed. What O’Meara saw at Augusta in April was a player that worked hard to get on a certain level to demand a contenders’ spot in a major and even a below-par Tiger wouldn’t have needed a backing to support his credentials – but then, times have changed. Golf is no more judged on the performance of its favourite son. In fact, the onus is now on Tiger to defeat the pessimism around his ability to win another major and eventually conquer Jack’s age-old benchmark.

Opinions have been polarizing throughout the past year regarding Woods’ fading driving range, lack of patience and his inability to use the momentum onto the bigger four stages of the golfing arena. To make it worse, it was the year of the Ryder Cup and Woods exhibited another incompetent appearance on his home turf; a tournament that many think was a welcome opportunity to take on his increasing number of doubters. Yet, all he got from the year was a craving for satisfaction, a couple of ‘almost there’ major performances and a No. 2 spot in the rankings – which, for the first time in a while, gives him a taste of a challenger’s oblivion in this typical one-man-era of modern golf.

The only key factor that Woods can deduce from the current golfing ace Rory McIlroy‘s merry run is that the latter tends to roll back the years reminiscent to the prodigious career curve of Woods with his game. The charisma, style of play, a sense of controlled aggression and a knack to voice out opinions in one of the most abrasive manners that would create some waves across the tabloids – Rory and Tiger, being the contrasting personalities they are, do have potentially similar effects in the golfing word.

Even though Tiger and Rory haven’t been trading barbs and do not have an ideal pitch to surface the potential rivalry sub-plots, they have certainly managed to take a cue out of this contest in order to raise their individual games. Also, there haven’t been enough moments where the two have clashed in a major tournament, and judging by the way things are progressing, we may have dealt with the elongated prologue of this head-to-head battle. What Rory can be for Tiger is an ideal marker to elevate his performance levels, while Rory could think of the American as a stepping stone to prospects with greater sporting significance.

“Maybe somebody else gives you a little kick and gives you a boost. Tiger certainly hasn’t lost his talent, certainly hasn’t lost his desire. But he’s got a few more guys out there now who can finish coming down the stretch than he did a few years ago.”

– Jack Nicklaus on Tiger Woods’ chances to win another major

A couple of years of unnecessary stumbling is what Tiger would have wished to give a miss, yet seldom elite careers are woven without major setbacks. Counting the 36-year-old with 14 majors out of race and considering an Irish prodigy with just a couple in his cupboard is mere delusional practice which doesn’t reflect much pragmatism. His fellow competitors, pundits and the ever-following roving eye from the print circles could go on speculating bizarre theories every other week, but for me, Tiger doesn’t need an opinion to rev him up for probably his biggest season yet in 2013 – pure determination to excel should be enough to do the trick.