Will Tiger Ever Ascend to No 1 Again?

[Gunther]

Just when you count Tiger out, he proves you wrong. But I'll go out on a limb and say his run at no 1 is over, forever. Don't think he'll be able to overcome this layoff and the youth and talent of world golf currently and to come. I don't believe he'll play this season and if he does, it will take him a long time to regain last year's form. He might be out of the top 20 by the time he gets back. Tough road...

[Vinsk]

I disagree. He'll be number one again.

[jamo]

I think he'll get it back. Just like the last time he lost it, it's not like any of these other guys are running away with it.

[Strandly]

Well he held onto it even while playing gimped so I really don't see him coming back and somehow playing worse/failing to reclaim.

[MS256]

If forced to bet I would bet no. But then I would probably bet no on almost any player that's not currently number one or isn't named McIlroy. The only reason McIlroy would tip my odds scale is that he's young enough to have plenty of time. Some of the rest will almost certainly get to number one at some point (and Tiger is in that group) but individually any of them would be a risky bet.

[Hammer 4]

I would say that Tiger has the drive, and the know how to make it to numero uno. The question to me is, can he totally recover from his surgery well enough to do just that..I would definitely not count him out, should he decide to make a come back and vie for the # 1 position again.

[isukgolf]

At this point I think Tiger would like to have his major wins ... Being #1 is an by product of trying to win majors and I believe he will get back to #1 ... But I don't think that is his focus ... Majors

[mvmac]

Absolutely he'll be #1 again

[Zwick]

If he's somewhat healthy, yes.

[ChrisP]

If the field stays the way it is now, yes he will. The only way he won't is if McIlroy or Spieth takes it up a couple notches and begins dominating. Right now with no dominating figure in the game, it really won't be all that hard for him once he comes back to get back to the top.

[RH31]

Two things he really has to do to get back to #1. Come back completely healthy. Develop a swing and workout routine that allows him to stay completely healthy. Obviously, as he's gotten older his body can't handle what he's tried to put it through. If he does back off with the workouts and his aggressive swing, will he still be Tiger? or just a kitty cat?

[David in FL]

Probably.

But perhaps for the first time, it's is a bona fide question.

[albatross]

No way.  I don't think there's a chance.

[flopster]

It may sound vague in a way but it makes sense also and that is because he knows how to get to #1 better than anyone else out there and it's not just skill alone with him, it's simply an attitude and inner confidence that lets him play at near peak level for long periods of time.

[boogielicious]

Certainly.  It took him very little time to get it back last time.

[Jeremie Boop]

... I'm not trying to diminish his surgery here, but people are acting like it was major reconstructive back surgery... I broke my back at 18, one vertebrae was completely crushed and had to be remade from bone off my hip and another was cracked. I have 2 rods and 4 pins that were put there to hold it all in place. I was able to be out golfing within 2 years of that happening, and that was because I had nerve damage that caused most of my right leg to be paralyzed. To this day I still have to wear an AFO because I have "drop foot". I guess what I'm saying here is let's not blow what he had done out of proportion, sure it will take a bit of time for him to recover but without the pain he was experiencing he may be better than ever once he starts playing again.

[skydog]

Honestly, I think it's a coin flip. I won't be surprised either way. One thing I think some people don't appreciate is that Tiger is now dealing with nerve damage- that opens up a whole can of uncertainty that makes it very hard to forecast what the future looks like. I know we've all been trained to think Tiger can come back from anything and everything but I do think this time may be different. I'm not saying he can't do it, I'm just saying no one (including him) knows if he can or can't at this point.

[Zeph]

I can't tell the future better than anyone else, but I'll go with yes. Perhaps more as a wish than a guess. As with his potential to win majors, let alone tournaments, I think it rests on his physical situation. Without injuries, he can get back up there. There are lots of players that can beat him on a day to day basis, but few can match his general performance through one or multiple years. He's got his ups and downs, but when healthy, he can rank up those OWGR points like nobody else. He has slumps in scoring and swinging, but he always comes back and wins 4-6 tournaments the next year.