Tiger? It's Eldrick, actually.

Tiger back on the winner’s podium? Pah!

His own tournament, unsanctioned by any of the tours, against a selection of journeymen pros, some of whom at their best can just compete on the world stage. He’s hacking away trying to get past Zach Johnson down the stretch, on a course he has played a thousand times, whilst the genuine quality players (Kaymer, Donald, McIlroy (won in Hong Kong this weekend), Westwood (won in South Africa this weekend), Day, Scott, et al) were all noticeable by their absence. Tiger is a hack. His record on day one of the President’s Cup a few weeks ago shows us exactly where he is.

He’s had the cushiest of years, having barely played, where everyone else (the field in this tournament included) have slaved away from one side of the world to the other. He was fit and fresh this weekend, at a time where the rest of the world are about to have their well-earned end-of-season break.

Having said that, it should be noted that Tiger likes to win. And a win is a win. I don’t think … actually firmly do not believe … that he will win another major. The majors are won by class players who seduce the game of golf over four consecutive rounds. The only seduction he has ever been capable of is of trailer-park trash who were looking for a kick. I have never warmed to the man. He took the sport of golf to another level, I will concede, but he did nothing for the game of golf. He ruined it … not just by his off-course antics, but by this arrogance and belief, whether intentional or not, that he was the game. He wasn’t. He isn’t. He will never be. And yes, the sport and the game are different. It could be argued he has turned it into a sport, some say for the better, but I don’t think so. Sadly, money talks, and he brought shed-loads of it into the game, opening it up for a plethora of average Joes who now thought this was the coolest thing in the world. The greatest relief for me is that no sooner had he met his demise, than his impact on the game paid dividends in the introduction of several young stars, many of whom would have watched him as nippers (Fowler, Ishikawa, McIlroy). Fortunately, where he may have inspired these people into the game, the only way to really make it these days is through the structured, morally solid, measured world of College golf in the USA, which as far as I can tell is run by true aficionados of the game. Couple this with the overall authority being the Royal and Ancient, and golf lives on … long after Tiger has become caged and toothless.

Of course, I claimed back in 2001 he would struggle to win more majors. I also have the yips, and my short came achieves less these days than a dung beetle rolling a ball of poo, so who am I to talk?