For the past two-plus years we've wondered if Tiger Woods would get back to his old form that made him not only the best golfer on the planet, but the most feared as well.
It was only 18 holes, but on Sunday afternoon at the Honda Classic, Woods put everything together, firing darts at every pin and pouring in putts from all over to fire an incredible 8-under 62, matching the lowest round of his career (he shot 62 at the 2009 BMW Championship).
Woods wasn't just good in the final round: He was stupid good. With the winds picking up on the front nine, the 14-time major winner shrugged off the conditions and eagled the third hole before rolling in birdie putts on the fifth and seventh to go out in four-under to get within striking distance of the leaders.
We'd seen him get hot before on the front nine but cool when he made the turn; however, this time around it seemed like Woods found that gear he'd been for some time, as he birdied the 11th before closing things out with two holes that could go a long way towards boosting his confidence going into the WGC-Cadillac Championship at Doral.
After knocking it to 25 feet on the par-3 17th, Woods stepped over his birdie putt and produced one of the best fist-pumps we've seen in some time, as he watched his 25-foot putt disappear into the hole.
It was classic Tiger, sure, but things got even better on the 18th, when Woods hit an absolute laser approach shot to a tucked pin on the right side of the green (with the water definitely in play) to 8 feet for eagle.
It was a shot Woods said after his round resembled the one he hit from the fairway bunker to a tucked pin during the final round of the 2000 Canadian Open. After watching the shot over and over again on NBC, it was hard to disagree.
But what made it even more impressive was that for the first time since last year's Chevron World Challenge, Woods actually made a putt when it counted, rolling in the 8-footer for a birdie-eagle finish that will go down as one of the most impressive in Honda Classic history.
Will it be good enough to win the Honda Classic? That remains to be seen. Players were still out on the course when Woods finished his round earlier in the day, but as this point, it doesn't really matter. More than anything, Tiger needed a confidence boost this week -- especially with the Masters almost a month away. And after three rounds of mediocre golf, he finally got the final round he was looking for.
It's hard to say if this is a one-off or a sign of things to come for Tiger, but the way he strode around the course today, hit shots we haven't seen him hit in some time and finally putting it all together. Well, you can't help but get excited about what could be in store for not only Tiger Woods, but the golf world as well.
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