General Comments 3/17/10

Perhaps I should start a blog about all my misfortunes: first there was the incident outside Verizon Center, then pipes in my house burst in multiple places, taking me all weekend to help fix. Next thing was this nasty computer virus that took me these past few days to eradicate. But, here I am now, and boy, has there been a lot going on in the golfing world since then.

Ernie Els got his biggest win since the British Open in 2002 with a WGC victory at Doral. The Big Easy is officially back. His confidence is not quite at the level it was before his knee injury in 2005, but the smooth South African is now as dangerous as ever. He will definitely be a factor at the majors this year.

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Tiger Woods has announced that his return to golf will occur at this year's Masters. Good for him. It only makes sense to come back there, as the tournament has the tightest control of the media out of all the tournaments in the year. And I'm quite sure his game will be in tip top shape. What will be most interesting to observe however, is the change in his demeanor (if there is any) and the way he will deal with the crowd who will most certainly boo him and otherwise give him a hard time. Tiger is not out of the woods yet, in fact he's only beginning to get a sense of direction of where to proceed.

Perhaps a major win will help calm the masses and the media, and who knows? Tiger may come back better than than ever. He has show great resiliance in times of hardship, especially after the death of his father. I don't think anyone will view Tiger as the perfect role model they used to, but with time and the magnificent golf he will surely be producing, this incident will soon be an afterthought.

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The Transitions Championship is set to begin tomorrow, and fields an impressive roster of players despite it being a smaller event. Steve Stricker and Paddy Harrington look for more tune ups for Augusta, and Charles Howell III, who has had success at Innisbrook before, looks to get his golfing career back on track.