Fred Vuich / SI
A week ago, Jack Nicklaus went on the record to say that while he thought Tiger Woods could still best his record of 18 major championship wins, time was of the essence.
Judging by what we’ve seen through 54 holes this week, it appears that Woods got the memo.
Heading into today’s 3rd round of the WGC Cadillac Championship, Tiger had already amassed 17 birdies through the first 36 holes of play, a feat that he himself had never done before, not even when he was in the middle of his prime during his dominating performances in the early-mid 2000’s. If his critics and fans alike were looking for something beyond the 4 wins that he’s managed since his world came crashing down back in the fall of 2009, something that could justify why Jack’s record is still within reach, they might’ve found it this week.
For a more thorough overview of the action in Saturday’s 3rd round of the Cadillac Championship, you can simply click HERE.
But the short version is that barring an un-Tiger like meltdown on Sunday that happens to coincide with some phenomenal type of scoring round coming from either McDowell, Mickelson, or Stricker, Woods will pick up his 2nd win of the season, and his 5th win since this time last year when he was still having to answer questions about whether or not he could win again. With Bay Hill only 2 weeks away, where he’s won 7 times already, and then the Masters only a few weeks after that – Tiger will be heading into Augusta in top form and full of confidence.
We can’t officially say he’s back until he either lifts another major trophy or slips on another Green Jacket, but things are definitely looking up for Woods. We’ve heard that he and Rory McIlroy have become reasonably good friends over the past several months, so it’ll be interesting to see that dynamic in play this season, especially with Tiger seeing some early slides this season with Rory’s game and maybe seeing an opportunity to recapture the top spot in the World Rankings again relatively soon.
But before all of that, tomorrow still awaits. As impossible as it seems that someone other than Tiger will win, he’ll still have to go out and post a winning number. But he’s virtually unbeatable when he’s putting the way he’s putted this week. More than anything, he looks like the fearless player he used to be on the greens.
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