Tiger Woods placed first in the WGC Cadillac Championship at the Trump Doral Resort – outplaying Steve Stricker by two strokes.

Woods’ win at Doral, his 76th PGA win, has put him on pace to not only oust Phil Mickelson as the number one rated golfer, but also to take home his first Master’s title in eight years. As golf fans are quick to point out, however, future wins are impossible to predict even when a golfer seems to have hit an imposing stride.

Joe LaCava, Woods’ caddie, isn't even able to withhold the feeling that Woods’ performance at Doral shows promise that the celebrated golfer is back. At the tournament, Woods took just 100 putts – a PGA Tour career low for him. It was his best 72-hole performance since LaCava came on board in 2011, the caddie told ESPN.

Woods rival Mickelson has been keeping an eye on him as he’s won for the second time in 2013, and the fifth time in 50 weeks. "He's been playing like this for quite some time," said Mickelson, who finished third at Doral. "All last year and this year now. He's pretty strong. Playing at a pretty high level week in and week out it seems like."

Stricker, who came in second behind Woods, might deserve a little bit of credit for his competitor’s victory. He had apparently helped Woods out with his putting prior to the competition, according to the Washington Post. “At times you kick yourself,” Stricker joked about the putting instruction after finding himself bested by Woods. “He’s a good friend. We talk a lot about putting. It’s good to see him playing well.”

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