Tiger returns to tried and tested territory at Firestone, still the biggest draw in Golf.

If you were to sit down and take a brief moment to read the history of the World Golf Championships, one name would stand out immediately to you. Tiger Woods. His 16 wins in the brief history of the WGC's represent his dominance of the game throughout most of the last decade, since the first Accenture World Matchplay was incepted in 1999. If you were to break down his record even further, you would notice a quite unbelievable statistic for the Bridgestone Invitational, this weeks event, at Firestone. Tiger has won an incredible 7 times from 11 appearances.

Woods holding the title in 2009

It makes perfect sense then that Tiger makes his return to competitive Golf this week to tackle the tough 7400 yard Par 70 challenge at Firestone, historically one of his most treasured hunting grounds. Just as he did at Augusta in 2010 when returning from his 5 month layoff after the 'scandal' hit the headlines. Firestone, like Augusta, offers him comfort, familiarity and personal security. Not to mention that a World Golf Championship event,  guarentees him four competitive rounds under his belt going into next weeks PGA Championship, the final mjaor of the year. There is little doubt that if Tiger didn't come back for the PGA, we would not have seen him on Tour till 2012. The comfort factor for Woods going into this week, will be even stronger with the news that he will partner the Open Champion, his good friend, Darren Clarke, for the first two rounds. Is it a case of the Tour simply pandering to Woods? Maybe it is, but ultimately it is a pairing that both players will relish. Clarke said of Tiger yesterday at his Press Conference: "He's a good friend of mine and it's fantastic for all of world golf to see Tiger Woods back playing again. I think it's wonderful to see him back." The words of Clarke, to cynics, may seem simply diplomatic towards one of the most dominant figures in the history of the sport, but there is a genuine feeling of goodwill and friendship between the two of them since their days of working with Butch Harmon back in the mid 1990s. Woods will have got a kick out of seeing Darren win the Open under the circumstances he did, as much as anyone else, and this will be a dream pairing for the two of them.

Clarke and Woods together. The Open Champion said of Tiger yesterday "He is a good friend"

Undoubtedly all of the ingredients for a strong and positive week are there for Tiger, but there is one factor that in the eyes of many, could hold him back from success either this week or the PGA. And that is himself.

We have no real idea of what shape Tiger is in physically, other than from listening to his confident and positive words. But then again, didn't he say exactly the same before the Players Championship in May? Before he went on to aggravate his injury from Augusta, on his opening drive, which resulted in a disastrous 42 for his front nine before a withdrawal and his absence for the following 3 months, missing two Majors in the process. Tiger does sound in an especially confident mood though. Asked yesterday when was the last time he felt so good physically, he replied in a typical bluntly put Woods fashion: "Years. Years, plural. Just plural." But there is a sharp difference between hitting shots in practice (which he has done now for 3 weeks) and hitting them in the heat of tournament play. As Phil Mickelson once said. "we hit it 10% harder in a tournament than we do in practice". On this occasion however, unlike in previous years, Tiger appears to have taken his Doctors' advice. Having decided against playing at last weeks Greenbrier Classic, won by Scott Stallings, on the basis that his Medical Advisors noted that an extra week off going into Firestone, would be the ideal preparation physically. It does show that this is a Tiger wary of his injuries, and the damage he could contune to inflict, unlike in the Summer of 2008 and earlier this Spring, Tiger now listens to sound advice. That will stand him in good stead going into the future, and in his quest to break Jack Nicklaus' 18 Major Championship record, which his chances of achieving, rests largely on his physical condition. Ultimately, there will still be doubts about the strength of his knee and achilles to sustain the challenges of the present and future. We will know a lot more on Sunday evening after the champion has been crowned, but until then doubts over Tiger's physical condition will persist.  

Tiger with his long term friend and interim caddy, Bryon Bell

There is also the question of Tiger's golf game under the controversial and much criticised, Sean Foley. When we last saw Woods properly at Augusta National, from tee to green, it was the Tiger of old. His front nine performance on Sunday, was a flashback to his charges from a decade ago. Everything from the remarkable shots, notably his 2nd into the Par 5, 8th, to his mannerisms and celebrations to the reactions of the Augusta patrons. It was Tiger, alas 2000-2001. The one thing that let him down that week was the putter, for a long time his most powerful ally on the course. Say what you will about Sean Foley and the swing changes Tiger has undergone since his disastrous +18 total at Firestone 12 months ago. I for one have had my doubts over the changes Tiger has made to his game, but there is little doubt that during this years Masters, Tiger finally clicked with his new swing, and a repeat of that performance, even though it's hard to ask of him, either this week, or at the PGA will see him contend.

Tiger with Coach, Sean Foley yesterday

Amongst all of the uncertainty surrounding Tiger's game, fitness and future, one thing is for certain, he is still the biggest draw in golf. When the news broke on Twitter last Thursday of his return, the golf tweeters were sent into a frenzy. Fans, journalists and players alike were excited about his about return to the game, and the number one topic in golf went from Rory and his Twitter spat with commentator Jay Townsend, or how many pints Darren Clarke drunk after the Open, to one individual, Tiger Woods.

The ratings will go up worldwide this week as we witness the return of Tiger. It'll be a fresh Tiger, returning to a game, that in his own words, "has changed".  Alongside him, will be his friend from College, Byron Bell (whose legs are so white, I'd swear he has spent his entire life in the Highlands of Scotland) on the bag following the acrimonious split with caddy of 13 years, Stevie Williams. The questions for Tiger are all there, and they won't all be answered this week, but by Sunday night, we will know a lot more about this new, settled, Tiger, and his future. But for now, lets just sit back and witness the return of one of the most dominant figures in sport, and who knows, he might even defy all logic and contend on Sunday against the young stars of today at the Bridgestone Invitational. What a story that would be.

Enjoy the week!