Return of the Tiger

SO NOW we know. Tiger Woods is back. The Big Cat is really back. A couple of weeks ago, at the Open championship (the third major of the year) Woods had the golfing world agog with excitement with a stunning charge for the title. Social media went crazy around the world. Even the legendary Jack Nicklaus and Greg Norman – The Great White Shark” – breathlessly tweeted virtually hole by hole from America and Australia as Woods zeroed in on the leaders.

Woods came agonisingly close, and last weekend he was at it again, this time at the PGA where he electrified the atmosphere around the entire course with some outrageously brilliant shot-making. The fierce focus, the power and finesse, the inventive mindset … it was all there. Once again, he came agonisingly close to lifting his 15th major title, finishing second to winner Brooks Koepka.

Woods changed the face of golf when he burst on to the scene in 1997, and you only had to look at the huge galleries in Scotland and Missouri to understand just how much it means to golfing fans to have Woods in serious contention again. It is a thrilling and compelling comeback story. Besides his well-documented personal problems, Woods has been battling a whole series of injuries for nearly a decade, the latest of which, a chronic back problem, took him to the very brink of total despair. There were real fears that he would never be able to hold a golf club in his hand again.

But here we are, and Tiger-mania has swept the golfing globe again. It is great for golf, and it is great for sport.

Best of all, the old aloof Tiger has disappeared. And now there is a more fan-friendly version, purring with appreciation and interacting with the public like never before. Tiger was always deeply admired. Now he is admired AND loved, and he is giving that love back with open arms.

How brilliant it is to see the red shirt again on Sunday, scrapping with the best of them at the top of the leader board. Welcome back, Tiger.