FanHouse Panel: How Will Tiger Do?

It is happening. At 2:02 PM ET Wednesday, Tiger Woods will again be an active member of the PGA Tour. If you're a fan of golf, this is a good thing. He makes it more exciting, brings in bigger crowds and, occasionally, pulls off a shot that nobody else in the world can. He is the game at this point in its history, and the game is in desperate need of a long-hitting, soft-putting red bull in a Nike shirt. To mark Tiger's return, FanHouse's golf bloggers got together panel-style to discuss how they think Tiger will do this week. The results are below.

Will Brinson
First of all, before talking about how Tiger will perform (hold on, it's all relative) I want to address this whole tipping situation: Isn't it entirely possible that Tiger doesn't tip because he demands perfection? That's an answer I haven't heard anyone give, but it makes total sense; the guy refused to show a group of "students" how to hit out of a sand trap because he said you shouldn't even think about landing there.

To extrapolate on that point, I don't think Tiger's willing to come back and think about failing. Of course, there's the possibility that "failing" = "not winning the Masters" and he knows how much competitive golf he needs to play before being ready, so maybe he's not coming to the Accenture just to win. As I mentioned in the podcast, it's also possible he wants to warm up in a tournament where there's no cut (that he can miss).

All that being said, I think he'll do well but he won't win. I want to be aggressive (but not confident!) and say he makes it to the finals, but I would never put Tiger in the finals if I wasn't going to predict a win. So I'll say he wins one match. And then I'll obviously regret it when he wins the tournament.

Stephanie Stradley
Tiger won the 2008 US Open on one leg. Who am I to say what is within the realm of possibility for him? We can talk about the swing changes he has made to accommodate his knee, but here's a guy who changed his swing and his coach when he was already the best golfer in the world. Tiger has been out of action for so long, yet is still the odd-on favorite to win the tournament, and even the guy he is facing in the first round says he would bet on Tiger.

Really, at this point, what could Tiger do that would surprise you? Looking at how people typically come back from ACL injuries or off of long layoffs cannot apply because nothing about Tiger is typical. He is a subset of one. I know all of that is pretty vomit-y to say, but it is hard to deny.

Michael David Smith
Against all reason, I'll pick Tiger to win. I think he's mostly just using this as a tune-up to get ready for the Masters, but I also think Tiger is the kind of competitor who doesn't think he can truly prepare himself unless he's putting everything into his tune-ups. I'm sure Tiger has been working like a madman to rehabilitate his knee, and I think he's going to be just as great as ever this year.

Ryan Wilson
I tend to agree with Brinson, Steph and MDS: Logic suggests that someone coming off an eight-month layoff brought on by a serious knee injury doesn't have much of a chance. Tiger has shown time and again that such rules don't apply to him. It's easy to say that he'll be rusty and off his game, but when you consider his complete volume of work -- book-ended by the '96 U.S. Amateur and '08 U.S. Open -- why couldn't he win the Accenture?

The guy's ability to singularly focus on one goal has just as much to do with his station in life as his physical skills.

Shane Bacon
There is an old quote about tournament golf that goes something like this -- "There is golf and there is tournament golf, and the two are about as similar as tennis and water skiing."

For eight months, Tiger hasn't been in the mode of "tournament golf." You know, showing up on the first tee to the butterflies bouncing around in your stomach, having to putt everything out no matter the length, and dealing with the crowds and distractions. This week will be as big a distraction as any golfer has ever faced in a non-major. People are heading to Marana, Ariz. to see Tiger win, and though I never say he can't do something, I find it highly unlikely he could produce a win over this five-day span.

I think he will be competitive all week and I think he has a good chance of making it to Friday or Saturday, but a lot of what he says is more for reaction than reality. He might be "coming to win" but he's also "coming to prepare" and just being out there competing again is a win in most books.

Bill Simmons has talked about the "Mike Tyson Zone", when an athlete reaches a point where nothing insane or crazy would surprise you. Tiger is in the athletic Tyson Zone, where he could win with one leg and six fingers and you'd just shake your head as he accepts yet another trophy. Golf has been waiting for this, and even without a victory on Sunday, I think we're all cashing in a little with his return.