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Will Tiger roar? Most top players see Woods as a big threat

The greatest player of his generation and arguably of all time, Woods has tumbled from top spot in the world rankings to an alarming 111th over the past year.

“Beware of Tiger’ warnings were sounded across Augusta National on Tuesday as golfers and fans geared up for the year’s first major with Tiger Woods back on the prowl for a fifth green jacket.

Out of sight for two months while he painstakingly pieced together a broken golf game, Woods has not been out of mind as everyone from old foe Phil Mickelson to young gun Jordan Spieth cast a cautious eye towards his chances of adding a 15^th major title to his collection on Sunday.

“In my book, he’s arguably the best player who has ever played the game, so of course I’m going to have some interest to see what he’s doing, especially after the break he’s had,” said Swedish world number two Henrik Stenson.

“I heard someone say that he came out by the pitching green and pitched and holed out four times in a row from 35 yards yesterday, so his short game seems to be in pretty good shape.”

The greatest player of his generation and arguably of all time, Woods has tumbled from top spot in the world rankings to an alarming 111^th over the past year with many experts convinced that he is suffering from the “chipping yips”.

Woods’ short game in his two tournament starts this year has made him look more like a struggling amateur than one of golf’s best but all indications are that the 39-year-old America has solved his chipping woes and is ready to contend this week.

“I do believe that the easiest fix is short game,” said Mickelson, a three-time Masters champion. “He’s won numerous tournaments because of his short game. I just don’t think it’s a hard thing to get back.

“He played in front of me today and I saw him hit some shots and it looked impressive.”