It’s now part of routine for Tiger Woods. Before every tournament, even after months of breaks due to serious injuries and operations, he always announces that he believes he will win. At the Hero World Challenge, an invitation tournament for twenty of the world’s best professional golfers in Albany, the Bahamas, the 15-time major champion needed 288 (75+70+71+72/even par) strokes, exactly twenty more than the winner Texan world number one Scottie Scheffler.
Woods, who turns 48 at the end of the year, was miles away from a sixth victory in the tournament, which he hosts and whose profits go to his TGR Foundation. And yet: Even if the PGA Tour record winner (82 successes) only ended up in 18th place after four rounds and he only left two colleagues behind him, the current US Open winner Wyndham Clark and his American compatriot Will Zalatoris, who, like Woods took part in a tournament again for the first time after withdrawing before the start of the Masters in April and undergoing minimally invasive spinal surgery: For a man who almost lost his right leg in a serious car accident in February 2021, this comeback was a win – and not only because the long-standing number one (683 weeks) has moved up from 1328 to 898 in the industry ranking.
Just one face contorted in pain
Perhaps more importantly, Woods showed only minor health problems on the flat, easy-to-walk course. He completed the first four rounds with a slight limp because the lower ankle of his right foot was stiff at the end of April. But only once during the four days in the Caribbean did you see a face contorted in pain, as he struggled to climb out of a bunker. He no longer generated any power when teeing off by pushing off with his right foot. Nevertheless, he sent the ball traveling numerous times at a speed of 177 miles (285 kilometers) per hour, well above the PGA Tour average of 172.85 miles (278 kilometers per hour), enough to compete with the best in the world to keep up.
“I think the best part of the week was my drives,” Woods said. “They flew like they were pulling on a string all week. Admittedly, the fairways are wide. But I hit the ball in the middle of the face all week.” But despite 15 birdies, which were eliminated by 13 bogeys and two double bogeys, weaknesses also appeared. In the “short game” around the green, but especially in the iron shots.
Woods, who has been considered the best iron player in history since his heyday, occasionally lacked distance control and often lacked his otherwise much-vaunted ability to send the ball with different curves towards the flag. After all, when he hits the ball with the irons, he still produces a unique sound.
“The Misfortune of Aging”
But for Woods, who has had a total of four operations on his left knee, five on his back and several on his right leg and ankle since 1994, professional golf demands a lot: “That’s the misfortune of aging and trying to do something Either my body has worn out or if you want to keep up with the younger people: it takes a long preparation and follow-up. You spend more time in the treatment room and weight room than you do on the golf course. That’s just part of it if you want to persevere as an athlete.”
Because of these long periods before and after tournaments, Woods only plans to play once a month next year. The start of the 2024 season of the PGA Tour begins in February at the Genesis Invitational, another TGR Foundation tournament where he acts as host, then the Players Champions in Florida in March, before the first major with the Masters in April follows.
After four days in the Bahamas, Woods is confident about his sporting future: “I think I’ve come a long way to play four days and get off a lot of rust, which was great. It was nice to be out there with the boys, having fun and competing. I wish I had played a little cleaner, but there is always next time.”
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This next time will take place the weekend after next, when Woods will once again compete with his fourteen-year-old son Charlie, as he has in the past three years, at the PNC Championship in Florida, an invitation tournament for major winners who each form a team with a family member – a highlight for father and son.
