In case you hadn't seen or heard, Tiger Woods won the Arnold Palmer Invitational last Sunday with a dramatic 16-foot birdie putt on the final hole of the tournament. In Tiger's third "comeback" event — the comeback in which he was the defending champion — he ended any murmurs of doubt about his ability.
With the completion of the five-stroke comeback in the final round, Woods went from sentimental favorite at Augusta National to leading contender for the green jacket. Two weeks from now, Woods may well have his fifth Masters title in hand.
Still, up until his Sunday win, there appeared to be a pretty broad pool of favorites to win the first major of the season. These players should not be forgotten on the heels of Woods' Sunday performance. They will pose a strong challenge to Woods.
Up until Sunday, Phil Mickelson was having a fantastic season. Mickelson was not even in Orlando at Bay Hill and somehow lost the pole position as Masters favorite. Mickelson won at Riviera with an intelligent strategy and survived his own shaky misgivings on Sunday. At Doral, in Woods' stroke play return event, Mickelson was great from start to finish. In particular, Mickelson showed that he could still play the classic Lefty style of aggressive golf that he will have to nurture in order to be successful at the Masters.
At the end of last season, everyone started claiming to be Irish to get a piece of Padraig Harrington. With a stunning final round performance at the gale force Open Championship and an opportunistic win over Sergio Garcia at Oakland Hills, Harrington is the only man that can complete the Paddyslam.
Since those two wins, Paddy has struggled in tournament play. Still, Harrington showed signs of some form this weekend at Bay Hill. With three rounds at par or better, Harrington finished tied for 11th. He will prepare for Augusta National at the Shell Houston Open, setup much like Augusta will be. Harrington is determined to be a U.S. Open away from history.
Perhaps a very dangerous man is being overlooked. Retief Goosen won the Transitions Championship just two weeks ago. It was Goosen's first win on the PGA Tour since 2005 and first significant win since the 2007 Qatar Masters. Goosen has struggled with his swing, with his eye, and finished in 89th and 108th on the money list in the past two seasons. How, then, could he be a Masters contender?
He has been erratic so far this season on the PGA Tour, but he has two top-three finishes. Additionally, he has an excellent track record at Augusta National. He has not missed the cut in his last seven Masters starts and has finished on the medal stand in two of the last three Masters. In other words, the Goose likes Augusta National.
There are certainly other players that would not surprise anyone to see them in contention on Sunday. Sergio Garcia, maybe Ernie Els, or a young European player may be able to make some serious noise. Former Masters winner Zach Johnson is showing signs of life. With how Augusta National has played in the last several Masters tournaments, it seems that the track has allowed a greater number of lesser-known players into the fold. That trend may continue again this year, largely depending on the weather.
The thing to remember in this entire discussion is that Tiger Woods is not the only player that can win the Masters. Contrary to the thousands of articles written praising Woods' clutch performance (as opposed to Sean O'Hair's choke job), this author is convinced that Woods is at his most vulnerable in his comeback.
It is impossible to deny that Woods will likely make a full comeback in due time. What Woods did on Sunday was not reminiscent of a player thriving on nostalgia. Until Tiger is fully back, though, the rest of the golf world has one — maybe two — big chances to capture a major. The players listed above know this and will work extra hard to take advantage.
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