He's Got the Look: Tiger Will Win

You can feel another moment coming here. Tiger Woods has his mojo back. The U.S. Open is going to play ridiculously long this week at Bethpage Black in New York. The golf world is back in order again.

"I like my chances in a major," Woods said.

Yes, that's right. Woods is talking in little Nike-like lines again. I would predict here that Woods is going to win the Open by blowout, but that's crazy. Nobody does that. Besides, just a hunch, but I think Phil Mickelson is going to be part of this moment, too. These types of grand sports moments usually come naturally, unexpectedly. Not this time.

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It's a neat, orderly, full-circle karma thing going for Woods. This time last year, he was limping and grimacing through his final round at the Open, and it seemed pretty clear that he was limping and grimacing more after bad shots than good ones, the faker. Then we found out, after he won, that he had stress fractures and torn knee ligaments. So it was a miracle moment for Woods. His life seems to be a series of those moments, as he lives in giant steps.

Since then, he left the PGA Tour for surgery and rehab, and while he has been back for a few months now, it hasn't been the real Woods out there. It has been some guy who has no idea what was wrong with his swing, who couldn't hit a driver straight, who could get into contention, but couldn't close the deal. Some guy who went on his Web site and explained that he isn't struggling at all: Look at all the top-10 finishes.

The real Tiger Woods does not find consolation in the top-10. But two weeks ago at the Memorial, he charged at the end, chipping in, hitting 14 fairways in 14 tries from the tee.

"I just wish you all would quit pissing him off, that's what I wish," said Jim Furyk, the guy Woods hunted down, joking with reporters afterward. "I wish you'd quit chapping him so he has to come back and keep proving stuff."

Over the years, we've seen Woods win the Masters and hug his Dad. We saw him walking up the 18th fairway in Chicago, and fans broke through the ropes in what looked like a riot. Instead, the mob packed in neatly behind their leader and walked to the green, step by step with him. His Dad died, and he won more majors, and he got married, became a father. Somehow with Woods, it's all big moments.

And you can just feel this one coming. You can hear it, too, in the things he talking about.

Who's the greatest golfer of all time?

"Jack," Woods said, picking Nicklaus over him.

How close are you?

"He's got 18 [majors]. I'm at 14."

Woods never stopped talking like that, I guess. But a few weeks ago at The Players Championship, his confidence sounded different somehow. Forced, or out of habit or something. Not real, especially the way he fell apart in the final round.

"Unfortunately the Sundays I didn't play well and didn't win, that was kind of how I was playing the rest of the week," he said Tuesday, describing his game before the Memorial. "A lot of those times, I did it with smoke and mirrors and making some putts or hitting a key shot at the right time, get a good bounce."

The year has come back around. Woods said that he could have gone on to the British Open last year, but that "my leg was probably going to keep re-breaking."

I can't tell you how tempted I am to pick Mickelson to win this thing. Mickelson's wife, Amy, was diagnosed with breast cancer, believed to be caught early, and he decided to come back on tour to help get his mind off things. It's not going to work.

"When my dad was sick, that was kind of the natural progression anyways," Woods said. "Your parents are supposed to pass away before you ... but to have a spouse, you're supposed to go together. I couldn't imagine dealing with what [Mickelson] has to deal with on a daily basis.

"And you think that the golf course would be your escape, but it's not. You're surrounded by people wishing you well the entire time, and hope everything works out. They keep reminding you of the same circumstance you're dealing with on a daily basis, and you just can't get away from it."

That said, Mickelson finished second when the Open was at Bethpage Black in 2002, behind Woods. And they've lengthened the course 212 yards since then, which is good for Mickelson. His problem is that his mind gets in the way of his fantastic game on these moments. And this time, if the moment comes, his mind will not be on the stress of golf. So he's going to be there. Oh, this moment is coming for sure.

And Woods was talking about greatness Tuesday, as if he knows something. He talked about Nicklaus, but also about Kobe Bryant.

"His preparation is second to none."

And about his friend, Michael Jordan. Jordan shot an 86 at Bethpage Friday, telling reporters later about the doubt that creeps in for him on the golf course: "On the basketball court, I never think about `What if,' " Jordan said. "On the golf course, you find yourself [thinking], 'What if you hit into the rough over there, can you get it out?' "

But Woods said it was a sign of Jordan's greatness that he started with a triple bogey and three doubles, and still had a decent number.

"Once you put a little bit of pressure on them, " Woods said, "it's amazing how well they perform."

Woods was always going to get his game back eventually, but it just clicked back like that two weeks ago. Why? It was the smell of the U.S. Open that made Woods hit the ball straight again. He's going to win this week. He could smell this moment coming, too.