Most athletes with an harm record as lengthy and detailed as Tiger Woods can be retired from professional sport. Woods, nonetheless, is different to most athletes.
The 15-time main champion’s much-anticipated return to skilled golf at the Hero World Challenge within the Bahamas wasn’t perfect, nor was it ever likely to be.
But in his first event in practically eight months, Woods demonstrated that he can nonetheless be competitive at a excessive normal and that his need to keep enjoying stays undiminished.
He finished on even par at Albany Golf Club on Sunday, placing 18th out of 20 on the general leaderboard. His last spherical featured five birdies – together with a superb lengthy putt on the fifth – as well as some wayward moments: a double bogey on the second hole and three further bogeys on the eighth, 11th and sixteenth.
All in all, there have been some promising indicators for the 47-year-old. Woods averaged 305 yards off the tee, proving that his lengthy game is in good well being, and he also confirmed that his beaten and ageing body can nonetheless withstand the pains of four rounds of competitive golf.
“The physicality of really enjoying and competing once more – I haven’t done this in a while. It was good to get out there with the fellows and have some enjoyable and compete. I just want I could have played somewhat bit cleaner however there’s all the time subsequent time.”
For Woods, next time would be the copyright Championship, a father-son match which tees off in Orlando, Florida on December 14.
This would be the fourth time in a row that Woods has entered the occasion alongside his son Charlie and his second tournament since undergoing ankle surgical procedure in April.
In 2024, Woods hopes to play on the PGA Tour once a month. While competing within the Bahamas, he mentioned that the Genesis Invitational in February and the Players Championship in March might be choices as he steps up his aggressive return.
From there, he might seem on the Masters in April and even on the Olympics in Paris later within the 12 months.
“Once a month appears cheap, and it offers me a few weeks to recuperate, every week to tune click here up,” Woods stated on Sunday. “Maybe I can get into the rhythm of something like that. That’s what the plan was going into next year. I don’t see why that may change.”
During the Hero World Challenge, which Woods hosts, he stated that he had been “pleasantly surprised” together with his physical recovery between rounds..