The Return of Tiger Woods

The murmurs have been felt throughout the golf world since the Hero World Challenge in late 2017.  Playing and hosting a limited field event for his foundation, Tiger Woods let the world finally see what he was able to do after successfully undergoing spinal fusion surgery.  Woods has been tormented by back issues the last five years.  He has had to restart his “comeback tour” on a few occasions.  Even in the fall of last year, Woods toyed with the idea that he may never play a competitive round of golf again.

Yet here he was playing on the smalll island of Bermuda competing with a handful of the best players in the world. 

And the world would have to wait a few more months before they would see Woods again.  

Tiger came back at a familiar stomping ground - Torrey Pines.  He finished 23rd at the Farmer’s Insurance Open.  Fans couldn’t wait to see what he would do next.  He made his triumphant return to Riviera Country Club - the same event where he made his PGA Tour debut as an amateur. It is a course where success has eluded Tiger and it did so again this year with Wooods missing the cut.  

The next week he returned to Florida and finished 12th at the Honda Classic.  Woods was sniffing in and around the lead heading into the weekend but was unable to mount any type of big charge that he would have needed to get the job done.  Many suspected that Woods would next appear at the Arnold Palmer Invitational where he has won The King’s event a record 8-times.  

Instead, Woods entered The Valspar Championship this past week where he has never played.  Over the last few years, The Copperhead Course at the Innisbrook Resort has attracted more and more of the top names in golf including Jordan Spieth, Rory McIlroy, and now Tiger Woods.  

Woods entry into The Valspar this last weekend is what may have finally solidified the proclamation that he is finally back.  Woods finished only one-shot back of eventual champion Paul Casey.  There were moments in the tournament where Woods was either tied for the lead or co-leading.  And in the past, these “moral victories” would have been laughable, today they represent real progress and excitement for a golfer who was thought by many never to compete again.  Woods proved that not only can he play four rounds of golf on the PGA Tour, but he still has the tools to win.  

Woods’ stats have been off the charts.  He recorded some of the fastest ball speeds of the week.  As Golf Digest points out, Woods is 11th in strokes gained.  Tiger is doing this while playing against guys who are half his age - all of whom grew up idolizing Woods.  

And while naysayers at home get tired of the constant Tiger coverage, there is no doubt that it is still Woods who moves the needle.  Many have stepped up in his absence to give star power to the PGA Tour:  Rory McIlroy, Jordan Spieth, Justin Thomas, and Rickie Fowler just to name a few.  Even stalwarts of the game like Phil Mickelson have managed to keep in the public eye by remaining in contention and winning while Tiger has been sidelined.   

Want more proof that Tiger drives the Tour?  Look at this photo tweeted by ESPN’s court jester Darren Rovell.  Those galleries do not exist when Woods is not playing. 

The man by the bunker is @tigerwoods, making the Valspar Championship yesterday seem like a crowd at a major (📷 by @MichaelMReaves) pic.twitter.com/rdLmpNuAyG

— Darren Rovell (@darrenrovell) March 12, 2018

After only four events on the PGA Tour this season, Woods is now a 10-1 favorite to win The Masters.  Remember - it was only a handful of months ago that Woods himself questioned openly whether he would play competitively again.  Now he is heading into the first major of the year as one of the favorites to capture his fifth green jacket.  Those odds will skyrocket if he captures his 9th Arnold Palmer Invitational at Bay Hill this weekend.

There are only a handful of times in a lifetime where you have the chance to actually witness one of the all-time greats dominating his or her craft.  Over the last 100 years, only three men have truly dominated the game of golf:  Bobby Jones, Jack Nicklaus, and Tiger Woods.  Even if you suffer from Tiger fatigue, don’t let the opportunity to witness a golf legend return to capture what was once his.