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ESPN and others' talking heads alike delighted in asking the question with every Tiger Woods' comeback attempt: Is Tiger truly back?
"He is healthy this time," they said or "His swing looks great."
The golf world eager for the return to full strength of the most dominant player of his generation. All spectators ready for Tiger to resume his chase of Jack Nicklaus' 18 major tournament victories.
Alas poor Eldrick.
Injuries wracked Tiger's body at every turn. His back unable to handle the demands of his violent play style leading to four different surgeries in three years from 2014-2017. Cracks in his once impenetrable armor displayed during his last major win at the 2008 U.S. Open in a playoff against Rocco Mediate. Withdrawals and missed cuts stuck to him as effectively as he once stuck to a Sunday lead at a major in his prime.
A frustrating sight indeed for the player who ruled golf with an iron fist for 11 years.
Yet, the fires of competition remained burning brightly in his eyes. Quitting not an option for the man owning 14 major titles along with the most consecutive and cumulative weeks as the top golfer in the world.
A cultured mystique giving him an undefeated record after 54 holes through 2008 in his professional career. Players wilting with each Tiger charge up the leaderboard.
A mystique Mediate hardly quaked at and Yang Yong-eun shattered when he wrestled a two-shot lead away from Woods in the final round of the 2009 PGA Championship.
Each failed comeback chipping away Tiger's aura a little more too.
An aura, it appears, flickering back to life as he stood on the 11th hole with the lead July 22 during the final round of the British Open. Gaining strength after a second-place finish at the PGA Championship, then blazing around him like a fire at the PGA Tour Championship Sunday.
All three events filled with the best players in the world. With courses designed to test them in the cruelest ways possible, Woods showed no fear. Finally ready to compete with a new generation of golfers who respected what he had accomplished, but didn't fear facing him head-to-head. Players who copied his physical fitness and conditioning template years ahead of its time in the sport in preparation for the pro tour.
Battles unlikely dissipating with the amount of talent in the sport today. Challenges he rarely saw during his dominant reign.
The most encouraging sign is Tiger went wire-to-wire for the victory in Atlanta. He was healthy and showed few signs of his age. There were plenty of classic Tiger moments along his mostly dominant path too.
There was the clutch 25-foot eagle putt he drained on the 18th hole Friday. The fist pumps and roars firing up crowds reluctantly resigned to the fact they may never see his emotion again. His confident swagger as he walked after a putt heading toward the hole before it found its target. The big final day lead. The huge crowds following him up the 18th Sunday watching and realizing Tiger was back.
And something new in the brief moment of joy on his face as he raised his hands skyward after a final par putt. Tiger taking in a moment unseen since his victory at the 2013 Bridgestone Invitational.
A two-over final round wasn't great but this isn't the same invincible golfer anymore either. Mistakes are going to happen. He has to make the best of them.
"It's been a grind out there," said Woods after the victory. "And I loved every minute of it."
Now, 10 years after hoisting the U.S. Open trophy at Torrey Pines, and nine years after his infamous Thanksgiving fight with then wife Elin Nordegren unraveled his life, Tiger may finally be ready to resume his quest for real.
The signs at the end of the 2017-18 PGA season more encouraging and tangible than any attempt before the latest.
Signs he could use to capture his 15th major tournament in the first four months of the 2019 PGA season. A schedule which should suit the 42-year old golfer perfectly. If he gets on a roll there could be no stopping his momentum as evidenced by the last two months. The Masters is in April, the PGA Championship at Bethpage in May, the U.S. Open at Pebble Beach in June, and the Open Championship at Royal Portrush in Northern Ireland in July.
Tigermania is finally back. Something everyone can get excited about.
Contact Joe Albright at jalbright@newsandsentinel.com.