Tiger Woods is starting to resemble the dominant golfer he once was when he was the number one ranked player in the world, making 27 birdies over the tournament to take home the WGC-Cadillac Championship on Sunday over fried Steve Stricker.
Woods was fantastic all weekend and was in first place from the beginning to the end as he held off charges from Stricker, who gave him golf tips earlier in the week, and Graeme McDowell, who had a solid weekend as well. Rory McIlroy was better on Sunday, but he still struggled after walking off the course at the Honda Classic last week as he tried to work in his new Nike clubs.
Woods has now won two tournaments this year, the first time he has done that before the Masters since 2005. The win was a better result than last year, when he was forced to withdraw due to an injury. Woods has been on fire lately using his putter and he was excellent while hitting fairways during the tournament.
Stricker gave Woods tips on the putting green earlier in the week and he used them to the fullest, as he made a near-career high 27 birdied throughout the event. Woods also had the least amount of putts at one tournament after using only 100. He took home the $1.5 million prize and now has the chance to regain his number one ranking with a win in two weeks at Bay Hill.
McIlroy is ranked number one still and finished with a 65 on Sunday to finish the tournament in eighth place. Phil Mickelson (71), Sergio Garcia (69) and Adam Scott (64) were in third place behind Tiger, while Woods was able to improve to 41-2 when taking the outright lead into the final day on the tour.
Woods is likely the favorite for the Masters if he can keep up his strong play. He looked unbeatable at the WGC and if he is regaining that form he had prior to his divorce and sex scandal, the entire golfing world should be worried.
HERE is a look at the upcoming schedule and what Woods has ahead of him.
DATE | TOURNAMENT | WINNER | SCORE/PRIZE |
Jan 4 - Jan 8 | Hyundai Tournament of Champions Kapalua Resort, Kapalua, Maui, HI |
Dustin Johnson | 203 (-16) $1,140,000 |
Jan 10 - Jan 13 | Sony Open in Hawaii Waialae Country Club, Honolulu, HI |
Russell Henley | 256 (-24) $1,008,000 |
Jan 17 - Jan 20 | Humana Challenge in partnership with the Clinton Foundation The Club at PGA West, La Quinta, CA |
Brian Gay | 263 (-25) $1,008,000 |
Jan 24 - Jan 28 | Farmers Insurance Open Torrey Pines Golf Course, San Diego, CA |
Tiger Woods | 274 (-14) $1,098,000 |
Jan 31 - Feb 3 | Waste Management Phoenix Open TPC Scottsdale Golf Course, Scottsdale, AZ |
Phil Mickelson | 256 (-28) $1,116,000 |
Feb 7 - Feb 10 | AT&T Pebble Beach National Pro-Am Pebble Beach Resort, Pebble Beach, CA |
Brandt Snedeker | 267 (-19) $1,170,000 |
Feb 14 - Feb 17 | Northern Trust Open Riviera Country Club, Pacific Palisades, CA |
John Merrick | 273 (-11) $1,188,000 |
Feb 20 - Feb 24 | World Golf Championships-Accenture Match Play Championship Ritz-Carlton Golf Club, Marana, AZ |
Matt Kuchar | $1,500,000 |
Feb 28 - Mar 3 | The Honda Classic PGA National Resort and Spa, Palm Beach Gardens, FL |
Michael Thompson | 271 (-9) $1,080,000 |
Mar 7 - Mar 10 | World Golf Championships-Cadillac Championship Doral Golf Resort & Spa, Miami, FL |
Tiger Woods | 269 (-19) $1,500,000 |
Mar 7 - Mar 10 | Puerto Rico Open presented by seepuertorico.com Coco Beach Golf & Country Club, Rio Grande |
Scott Brown | 268 (-20) $630,000 |
Upcoming Tournaments | ||||
DATE | TOURNAMENT | TV | DEFENDING CHAMP | PURSE |
Mar 21 - Mar 24 Tickets | |
Arnold Palmer Invitational presented by MasterCard Bay Hill Club & Lodge, Orlando, FL |
Tiger Woods | $6,200,000 | |
Mar 28 - Mar 31 Tickets | |
Shell Houston Open Redstone Golf Club, Humble, TX |
Hunter Mahan | $6,200,000 | |
Apr 4 - Apr 7 Tickets | |
Valero Texas Open TPC San Antonio, San Antonio, TX |
Ben Curtis | $6,200,000 | |
Apr 11 - Apr 14 Tickets | |
The Masters Tournament Augusta National Golf Club, Augusta, GA |
Bubba Watson | $8,000,000 | |
Apr 18 - Apr 21 Tickets | |
RBC Heritage Harbour Town Golf Links, Hilton Head, SC |
Carl Pettersson | $5,800,000 | |
Apr 25 - Apr 28 Tickets | |
Zurich Classic of New Orleans TPC Louisiana, Avondale, LA |
Jason Dufner | $6,600,000 | |
May 2 - May 5 Tickets | |
Wells Fargo Championship Quail Hollow Country Club, Charlotte, NC |
Rickie Fowler | $6,700,000 | |
May 9 - May 12 Tickets | |
THE PLAYERS Championship TPC Sawgrass, Ponte Vedra Beach, FL |
Matt Kuchar | $9,500,000 | |
May 16 - May 19 Tickets | |
HP Byron Nelson Championship TPC Four Seasons Resort Las Colinas, Irving, TX |
Jason Dufner | $6,700,000 | |
May 23 - May 26 Tickets | |
Crowne Plaza Invitational at Colonial Colonial Country Club, Ft. Worth, TX |
Zach Johnson | $6,400,000 | |
May 30 - Jun 2 Tickets | |
the Memorial Tournament presented by Nationwide Insurance Muirfield Village Golf Club, Dublin, OH |
Tiger Woods | $6,200,000 | |
Jun 6 - Jun 9 Tickets | |
FedEx St. Jude Classic TPC Southwind, Memphis, TN |
Dustin Johnson | $5,700,000 | |
Jun 13 - Jun 16 Tickets | |
U.S. Open Golf Championship |
Webb Simpson | $8,000,000 | |
Jun 20 - Jun 23 Tickets | |
Travelers Championship TPC River Highlands, Cromwell, CT |
Marc Leishman | $6,100,000 | |
Jun 27 - Jun 30 Tickets | |
AT&T National Congressional Country Club, Bethesda, MD |
Tiger Woods | $6,500,000 | |
Jul 4 - Jul 7 Tickets | |
The Greenbrier Classic The Greenbrier, White Sulphur Springs, WV |
Ted Potter, Jr. | $6,300,000 | |
Jul 11 - Jul 14 Tickets | |
John Deere Classic TPC Deere Run, Silvis, IL |
Zach Johnson | $4,600,000 | |
Jul 18 - Jul 21 Tickets | |
The Open Championship Muirfield Golf Links, East Lothian, Scotland |
Ernie Els | $8,000,000 | |
Jul 18 - Jul 21 Tickets | |
True South Classic Annandale Golf Club, Madison, MS |
Scott Stallings | $3,000,000 | |
Jul 25 - Jul 28 Tickets | |
RBC Canadian Open Glen Abbey Golf Club, Oakville,Ontario, Canada |
Scott Piercy | $5,600,000 | |
Aug 1 - Aug 4 Tickets | |
World Golf Championships-Bridgestone Invitational Firestone Country Club, Akron, OH |
Keegan Bradley | $8,750,000 | |
Aug 1 - Aug 4 Tickets | |
Reno-Tahoe Open Montreux Golf & Country Club, Reno, NV |
Grant Waite | $3,000,000 | |
Aug 8 - Aug 11 Tickets | |
PGA Championship Oak Hill Country Club, Rochester, NY |
Rory McIlroy | $8,000,000 | |
Aug 15 - Aug 18 Tickets | |
Wyndham Championship Sedgefield Country Club, Greensboro, NC |
Sergio Garcia | $5,300,000 | |
Aug 22 - Aug 25 Tickets | |
The Barclays Liberty National Facility, Jersey City, NJ |
Nick Watney | $8,000,000 | |
Aug 30 - Sep 2 Tickets | |
Deutsche Bank Championship TPC of Boston, Norton, MA |
Rory McIlroy | $8,000,000 | |
Sep 12 - Sep 15 Tickets | |
BMW Championship |
Rory McIlroy | $8,000,000 | |
Sep 19 - Sep 22 Tickets | |
TOUR Championship by Coca-Cola East Lake Golf Club, Atlanta, GA |
Brandt Snedeker | $8,000,000 | |
Oct 3 - Oct 6 Tickets | |
The Presidents Cup Muirfield Village Golf Club, Dublin, OH |