Just when the world started to wonder if Tiger Woods was ever going to be a great player again, he has reminded all of us who's boss. In the Barclay's Championship this week, Woods carded a sizzling score of 65 to take a share of the lead for the tournament. His 65 is the best score he's had all year, and the best score of anyone in the tournament on the first day.

Woods has gone from being the guy whose name you expected to see at the top of the leader board to the person we've least expect to get there. It's amazing how a year and a major sex scandal can change things. While one performance on one day is certainly not enough to guarantee that the old Tiger has returned to form, we must remember that he is still the #1 ranked golfer in the world.

One also can't help but wonder if Tiger's recent divorce from ex-wife Elin Nordegren was the reason that he's suddenly focused again. He can now date whomever he wants without being judged, and he is now free to spend 10 hours a day on the golf course if he chooses. One wonders if the life of a single man is going to be good for Tiger in terms of freeing his spirit, or if being unleashed completely will be one of the worst things to ever happen to him.

Woods' outstanding performance is not only a reminder of how good he is, it also saves him in the standings for the Fed Ex Cup. Since his sex scandal, Tiger has fallen so low in the points that he was ranked 112th out of the 125 players who qualified. His opponents began to smell blood in the water and wondered if they could finally take him down. Perhaps they were getting ahead of themselves.

Tiger's standing as the only significant black golfer in the world is important for symbolic reasons. There is no clear successor to Woods, and I admit that golf was just a boring, plain vanilla sport to me before Tiger came along. To see the only black man in the field dominate in the way he has brought forth a childlike reaction from many of us, and the last thing any of us wants is for his best days to be behind him.

There are still three rounds left in the championship, so there is a great deal of golf left to be played. But a win at this point in the season would be the statement Tiger's been seeking to make. It would also be enough to have his sponsors licking their chops again. I guess we'll see what happens.


Dr. Boyce Watkins is the founder of the Your Black World Coalition and a Scholarship in Action Resident of the Institute for Black Public Policy. To have Dr. Boyce commentary delivered to your email, please click here.