Tiger Woods returns to competitive golf, admitted something we’re not used to hearing
That felt like the most important takeaway from Thursday’s opening round at the Hero World Challenge, Woods’ first tournament since the Masters and since his subtalar fusion surgery: Woods looks like he can do this.
In recent comebacks, his swing has looked good and his game has looked sharp but, over the course of one or two or three or four rounds, his body hasn’t kept up.
“Good read, Robby.” 😆@TigerWoods’ 48-footer capped off a fun opening round at the Bahamas. pic.twitter.com/8KmrmPeqih
— PGA TOUR (@PGATOUR) November 30, 2023
But if Thursday’s biggest question was whether Woods looks healthy enough to have a future playing a limited professional golfing schedule, the answer was exciting: so far, so good.
We’ve seen this before.@TigerWoods couldn’t help but smile after a long birdie. pic.twitter.com/dX2aNbdQHh
— PGA TOUR (@PGATOUR) November 30, 2023
“I was dealing with bone on bone for a number of months,” Woods said, referring to pain in his now-fused ankle. “I don’t have to worry about that anymore.”
Tiger Woods expands on making adjustments in his #HeroWorldChallenge first round after seven months since his last tournament. 🐅 @TigerWoods pic.twitter.com/ytU2t21Tfs
— Golf Channel (@GolfChannel) November 30, 2023
That still doesn’t mean Woods is all-the-way, 100-percent healthy. He still walks with a slight limp. He aches. And his ankle may not hurt like it did, but he describes the pain as having redirected elsewhere. Asked where he feels sore, he tried for a one-word answer — “everywhere” — but gave more specifics, too.
“My leg, my back, my neck. Just from playing, hitting shots and trying to hold off shots,” he said. “It’s just different at game speed, too. Game speed’s a lot different than at home speed.”
Tiger Woods putting. Notice how quiet the head and lower body is and the shoulders rocking back and through. #tigerwoods #putting #golf pic.twitter.com/V6blzFPTlN
— Bsheridangolf (@bsheridangolf) November 28, 2023
That speed was encouraging from the jump. Woods smoked his opening tee shot 326 yards down the middle of the first fairway. Later in the round, he was measured at 177 mph ball speed with his driver, well above Tour average. Things started good and stayed that way for a while; through 14 holes, Woods was 1-under par on relatively windy day at Albany, not far off the lead.
But things didn’t finish as well as they’d started. At No. 15, a short, downwind par-5, Woods drove his ball into a bush and wound up making double bogey. Two more bogeys followed and he settled for a three-over-par 75, bettering just two golfers in the 20-player field.
It wasn’t until Woods’ post-round remarks that we entered unfamiliar territory. Woods has faced questions after nearly every round of his professional life, good or bad. But while we’re used to him explaining poor results with references to his swing, his body or his execution, one area has generally remained untouchable: his mind. But not on Thursday.
“I had, really, a lack of commitment through of of the middle part of my round and finishing,” he said. “I just didn’t quite commit to what I was doing and feeling.”
🗣️ “I’m just as curious as you are to see what happens”
Tiger Woods looks ahead to making his return at the Hero World Challenge after seven months out through injury 🏌️ pic.twitter.com/fGtpdWPpW3
— Sky Sports News (@SkySportsNews) November 28, 2023
A couple shots in particular drew Woods’ ire. His tee shot at the par-5 11th squirted out to the right and forced a layup. His iron shot on the par-3 12th started way right and stayed there, leading to bogey. And a quick-hook driver at No. 15 led to double.
Tiger Woods has said he will continue to play golf for as long as he thinks he can still win! 🏆#BBCGolf pic.twitter.com/PeJP10QPmd
— BBC Sport (@BBCSport) November 28, 2023
in fact. Golfers at every level of the game struggle with committing to a shot, and waffling between swing thoughts is often the worst possible sin. But for Woods, whose mind has always been a fortress, it was notably different to hear him admit it.
“Good read, Robby.” 😆@TigerWoods’ 48-footer capped off a fun opening round at the Bahamas. pic.twitter.com/8KmrmPeqih
— PGA TOUR (@PGATOUR) November 30, 2023
“I wanted to play. I felt like I was ready to compete and play. I hit it solid most of the day,” he said. “As I said, I just didn’t mentally do the things I normally would do and I need to do.”