Graeme McDowell predicts Tiger Woods will rise again
This past 12 months has been quite eventful for Tiger Woods, just not in a good way.
Since the 14-time major champion crashed his Escalade into a fire hydrant just under a year ago, he has gone through a messy divorce from his wife after his extra-marital affairs were
exposed, lost numerous lucrative sponsorships as his public image took hit after hit, failed to win any tournament so far in 2010, and gave up his number-one ranking to Lee Westwood earlier this week.
But there is at least one player who sees this past year for Woods as a temporary setback rather than a permanent fall from grace. Northern Irishman and reigning U.S. Open champion Graeme
McDowell predicts that Woods will rise again.
"The face of the golfing world has changed here in the short term," McDowell said of Westwood passing Woods in the rankings, "But I predict another five years of Tiger Woods's dominance
in the game. I think he'll be number-one in the world comfortably for the next five years."
At the Ryder Cup contested in Wales this past month, an event Woods typically struggles in, he won three of his four matches, including a 4 and 3 drubbing of Francesco Molinari in their
Monday singles match. And even though Europe won back the cup, thanks to a singles win from McDowell, the 31-year-old liked what he saw out of Woods that week.
"I thought he looked ominously back at the Ryder Cup," said McDowell. "I thought he quietly went about his business and had a good week in an event where historically he's not been very
good.”
"I think his return to form is inevitable," McDowell continued. "I just think he's been slowly but surely getting his head around the game. I fully expect Tiger to re-enter the golfing world
the way he used to be."
When McDowell was asked if we’d ever see Woods return to the form he displayed in 2000, when he won four consecutive majors, a feat now known as the “Tiger Slam,” he backed off a bit.
"2000 dominance is a lot to ask for," he said "More like '05 dominance."
Woods won six events in 2005, including two majors.
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