Tiger Woods has recently been taking full swings with irons and shorter clubs. None of these have been shots that have even surpassed 100 yards yet, but he is over a month ahead of schedule coming back from knee surgery. It will only be a matter of time before Tiger is back competing, but will he dominate again?

Over six years ago, Tiger was told he had barely 20% of his ACL left due to his violent golf swing. The fact that it lasted until the summer of 2008 was amazing, but it’s eventual tear has held Tiger out since the U.S. Open. His ligament has been repaired, the fractures have healed, and now Tiger has two healthy knees for the first time in years.  According to Tiger, “I’m actually stronger in my legs than I think I’ve ever been.”

When Tiger first appeared in professional golf it was his supreme athletic abilities that allowed him to dominate. He was a real athlete, rare in the golf world, and this is what separated him from the rest of the pack and allowed him to dominate. He quickly became one of the greatest athletes, a face of Nike and Buick, and a world-wide sensation.

As his physical skills faded gradually, he became the strongest golfer mentally, winning tournaments because of his mental fortitude and quick thinking. Now, with his body being stronger than ever, and his mind even stronger, Tiger is poised to come back even better than before. It is hard to beleive, but Tiger’s experience and renewed physical health have set him up for success unlike ever before. Expect Tiger to run away with this PGA tour season and separate himself even further from the pack.

Padraig Harrington received PGA Tour Player of the year. Which means he is the first European player to win this award since it began in 1990.

Even though Harrington only won twice this year, they were some doozies. They were the British Open and the PGA Championship. He is the first European to win successive majors in the same season.  Him and Tiger Woods are now the only players to do so in the last 20 years.

Some of the other contenders were Woods, Vijay Singh, Kenny Perry and Camilo Villegas

Andres Romero was voted PGA Tour rookie of the year, and Dudley Hart was voted comeback player of the year.

Over the weekend Tiger Woods‘ caddy, Steve Williams, made some disparaging comments about third-ranked golfer Phil Mickelson. With Tiger out for an extended period of time, perhaps William was trying to stir up some controversy in time for Tiger’s return. He said, “I don’t particularly like the guy. He pays me no respect at all and hence I don’t pay him any respect. It’s no secret we don’t get along either.”

Phil Mickelson has long been considered the PGA player most likely to challenge Tiger Woods’ dominance of golf. So far, he has more rolled over than stood up to Tiger. Head to head matchups have been dominated by Woods, and Mickelson falters under pressure even when Woods is already out of contention. Who can forget his double bogey at 18 on Sunday in the U.S. Open at Winged Foot? A bogey was all he needed for a playoff, a feat Tiger was able to accomplish this year weeks after major knee surgery. Of course, Woods went on to win the U.S. Open before shutting it down for the rest of the year.

It is no secret in the golfing world that Tiger and Phil are far from friends, and there is maybe even more than a little animosity. Woods has dominated Mickelson over their careers, almost doubling him on the career earnings list while being almost ten years his junior. Tiger also makes millions a year for Nike and Gatorade, and is the world’s richest athlete with the sport’s hottest wife. There is no doubt that this is where Mickelson’s ire originates, and maybe Tiger’s too. He is such a competitor that he was probably hoping that Mickelson would challenge him and make his victories that much harder and sweeter.

Maybe Steve Williams is trying to fire up Tiger’s competition for when he returns. Perhaps Mickelson is a jerk because he’s jealous. He should just let it go and be happy that he is only dealing with Tiger’s caddy right now.

If you blinked, you might have missed how the golf world neatly swept a potential firestorm of controversy under their proverbial rug. Kelly Tilghman, an anchor on the Golf Channel, said something about Tiger Woods that she hopes not too many people will hear about.

Speaking about how Woods dominates the golfing world, Tilghman said that young players on the PGA Tour should “lynch him in a back alley.” Yes, she really did say that.

While Don Imus’ remarks about the Rutgers women’s basketball team got him kicked off his show and made him public enemy #1, Tilghman received only a light slap on the wrist for saying Woods should be lynched. Imus, whose remarks were also totally unnecessary and in poor taste, to his credit didn’t say anyone should “lynch” the Rutgers players.

Tilghman, who received only a two week suspension from the Golf Channel, dodged any major punishment for her slip of the tongue. Is it because she’s a good looking female? Is it because it was an honest mistake? Even if you believe that it was an honest mistake, you have to admit Al Sharpton has a point.

Said Sharpton, when speaking to CNN: “If I got on this show and said I wanted to put some Jewish-American in a gas chamber, I don’t care what context I said it in, the entire Jewish community would have the right to say I should be put off this show or my radio show if I said it there. Or if I said I wanted to see a woman raped. This is an insult to all blacks. Lynching is not murder in general; it is not assault in general. It is a specific racial term.”

While it’s true that Sharpton can be a bit fanatical at times, I have to agree with his take. If the mainstream media is going to annihilate Imus for his remarks, Tilghman shouldn’t be able to get away with an obviously racial statement, even if it were an accident. A two month suspension – or maybe even a six month suspension – seems more apropos. Two weeks? That’s not a suspension, that’s a vacation.

By Kori Ellis