Who Wants Tiger Back?

Three weeks ago, in the aftermath of Phil's historic (epic) win in The Open, I wrote here of the wonder of Phil's win and the message it sent to Tiger and Lee Westwood, who both failed to grab the claret jug.

Now, having seen Jason Dufner play a classically PGA tour round of golf -- fairways and greens -- knocking it close often enough to shoot 10 under for the four days and 2 under on Sunday.  That beat Jim Furyk by 2 and the rest of field really wasn't in it after Henrik Stenson inexplicably made 5 on the short par-4 14 that he can reach with a driver.

To repeat what you've probably heard too many times already: Dufner is the 18th non-repeat major champion since Tiger won the US Open on one leg at Torrey Pines in 2008.  Only Phil, Rory and Padraig Harrington (remember him? did he make the cut at Oak Hill?) have won two majors in that time.

The PGA Tour has become Phil and the pigmies. Or Tiger and Cubs, given Woods has won five times this season.

But is this what we want to see?  Henrik Stenson winning the Masters?  Jonas Blixt taking the US Open?

History tells us that golf goes through periods like this, not dominated by a single golfer.  But we have to go back to the period between Arnie's ascension and Hogan's retirement to a time when there was no dominant force in the majors.  Since Arnie, we have seen Jack take the mantel from him, then Tom Watson, then Nick Faldo & Seve Ballesteros, then Tiger Woods.

Now, Tiger is still playing.  But since the knee injury he is, for lack of a better, more complex analysis, "past his prime," and golf awaits his successor.  Is it Rory?  Or some unknown at this point?

Sundays in majors are more interesting if there's a Tiger in the hunt. Or Phil.  Or even Rory.  Dufner v. Furyk v. Stenson v. Bradley isn't the same.  Until one of them wins a couple majors and grabs the mantel.

We need "juice" in the majors, like Muirfield, where Tiger hung there to finish 6th and Phil played one of the great rounds of all time to come from five groups back to win.

We've seen too much in the last 5 years of the ho-hum.

Bring back Tiger, so we can have someone to root against on Sunday in the Masters...the US Open...the  Open...

If he won't win number 15, we at least want him to be there on Sunday.  And it'd be great if there was the next great golfer standing in his way -- someone who wins two majors in a year and starts us talking about "the next Tiger" with some accuracy.