Can he really win another major though?
Tiger Woods’ eagerly anticipated return to competitive golf ended with the 14-time major champion posing with the trophy. Only, he was obliged to be there as the host of the Hero World Challenge.
Instead, Rickie Fowler celebrated winning the 18-man exhibition event at the Albany Resort in the Bahamas as Woods stood to his right, smiling warmly and politely offering his congratulations. But Woods, making his first appearance after limping out of the Dubai Desert Classic in February, had reason to be cheerful about his own contribution to the entertainment over the four days.
We must be careful not to draw any extravagant conclusions from the 42-year-old’s performance, nor should we make any grandiose prognostications for what the future holds. Woods has returned from injury before only to be stricken once again, but we’re hoping for a more uninterrupted comeback trail this time.
The main thing was for Woods to complete four rounds without much pain and he achieved that. But, as cameras followed Fowler rallying from seven shots behind to win with a scintillating 61, there was more than enough evidence to suggest that Woods is far more than just a relic of a bygone era scrambling to remain relevant.
Woods revealed that he’d been playing well on his home course in Jupiter, Florida, in preparation for the Hero World Challenge, but there was still an element of surprise in seeing him rip drives down the fairway. Swinging at full-tilt hasn’t been easy with his persistent back troubles but there was no sign of restraint here.
While we almost expect to see Woods wincing after lashing a drive down the fairway, he seemed comfortably aggressive on his return.
Below you can see a year-by-year comparison of Woods’ swing in 2016 and 2017.
One year's time.
What differences do you see? pic.twitter.com/eDt96BRGW3
— PGA TOUR (@PGATOUR) December 1, 2017
To the untrained eye, the two swings appear identical. However, look closer and you can see the minor changes Woods has made. His swing this year is slightly shorter, placing less strain on his spine. It also allows him to clear his hips faster and attack the ball with aggression, without putting himself at risk of injury.
There’s a balance and a confidence to his swing now, which allowed him to produce stunning shots like the one below, a towering 270-yard 3-wood to around 15 feet, from where he made eagle on the par-5.
"Talk to me, Joey."
Not many can land it this soft with a 3-wood from 270 yards away.#ShotOfTheDay pic.twitter.com/5NrC5NbG8t
— PGA TOUR (@PGATOUR) December 2, 2017
It was Tiger’s razor-sharp short game that separated him from the rest during his heyday, however, and he thrilled the gallery by showing a deft touch with his wedge in the shot below, dispatching a wedge straight at the flag.
Vintage Tiger. #ShotOfTheDay pic.twitter.com/IbZIJ9SaVg
— PGA TOUR (@PGATOUR) December 1, 2017
We’re not trying to skew the narrative here. There was a lot of bad to go with the good – notably a run of four bogeys in seven holes during round three – but Woods showed more than enough quality and competitive spark to suggest that he may actually be back for real this time.
There is still a long way to go. Finishing in a tie for ninth catapulted him up over 500 places in the world rankings to 668th. Dustin Johnson isn’t in danger of relinquishing top spot in the rankings just yet, but Woods will be quietly confident of becoming a regular factor in tournaments once again after this encouraging step in the right direction.
Granted, it will be intriguing to watch him in more intense environments than the fairly affable atmosphere that was on display in the Bahamas.
Whatever you may think of Woods the man, it was still pleasing to see the greatest golfer to ever grace the game back doing what he does best. From what he demonstrated, he’s back for good this time. Provided he stays healthy, of course.
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