Every year, during the first full week of April, the beautiful Augusta, Ga., plays host as the sports world descends on its purest establishment. It is also each year at this time that the fanfare leading up to the tournament holds a different narrative. The buzz ahead of this year's Masters is palpitating, and just thinking about it has my hands sweating.
SportsCenter, writers, fans, whoever, all can try to feed alternative storylines to fill time slots or words on a page, but golf right now boils down to just two people: Rory McIlroy and Tiger Woods. Looking at the winners from the past 20 years, only CharlSchwartzel, Trevor Immelman, Zach Johnson and Mike Weir look out of place from the rest of the Green Jacket keepers. Augusta is usually won by the best. I don't want to discount Luke Donald and his No. 1 world ranking, or Phil Mickelson, but the favorites are McIlroy and Woods.
After McIlroy won his first major at the U.S. Open last year, shooting a record-setting 16-under par, eight strokes ahead of the second-place finisher, people were ready to anoint him the next big thing. Talking heads began putting him in the same sentence with Woods and discussing what it all meant for the sport going forward.
McIlroy's U.S. Open victory, of course, came after his equally remarkable collapse at the Masters two months earlier, when he led by four strokes heading into the final round before shooting an 80, the worst round in history for a professional golfer who led after three rounds at the Masters. Since his implosion at Augusta, McIlroy has gone on a tear and has a first-, second- and third- place finish already under his belt this season. Just 22 years old and already a fan favorite, he is as confident as anyone right now.
Now, the McIlroy train was full steam ahead until two weekends ago, when Eldrick Tiger Woods did something he hadn't done since 2009: win a golf tournament. Woods won the Arnold Palmer Invitational by five shots, shooting 13-under par. It was really hard to keep Woods' victory in perspective, given that it was just one event and it wasn't a major; but come on, who wasn't excited? As much as the world turned on Woods after his ugly personal life was exposed, we need - no, we want - a triumphant Woods in our lives.
He's arguably the greatest golfer ever and, personally, was a childhood hero of mine. He hasn't won a Green Jacket since 2005, but he has finished fourth the last two years. He has been hurt, fallen and raked through the coals, and all deservingly so. But let him rise. I believe in Tiger and, after Bay Hill, I believe Tiger believes he can win.
One of my favorite Tiger memories happened last year. It was such a fleeting feeling because he did not go on to win the Masters, but it felt important to me anyway. During the fourth round, Woods birdied the sixth and seventh holes to reach eight-under par. He then eagled the eighth hole. When he sank that eagle putt to let everyone know that he still mattered, as a sports fan watching from home I felt like I personally was there and willed that ball into the hole. No other athlete in the world galvanizes a crowd so instantaneously and makes them feel that, just by watching, they are doing something great as a collective whole.
That is why we need Tiger to put on the Green Jacket again.
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Alex Arthur is a sophomore majoring in economics and English. He can be reached at Alexander.Arthur@tufts.edu.
