Three months later, he contended in a PGA Tour event.
Then he contended in a major.
Then he won on the PGA Tour.
Then he won the Masters.
This will mark Woods' first start since he withdrew from the Masters in excruciating pain.
A few weeks later, he opted for subtalar fusion surgery in desperate search of pain relief.
So that surgery was a success."
What, then, would make this week a success?
It’s about the walk.
All about the walk.
He wanted to see if his hands were still there.
He somehow managed to top 180 mph ball speed earlier this year at the Genesis Invitational at Riviera.
No one’s more familiar with the standard it takes to win on the PGA Tour than Woods.
He’s done it 82 times.
When he was asked if he believes he can win again, he smiled and didn’t hesitate.
Woods played 17 events in 2018 before winning the Tour Championship.
He played five times in 2019 before winning the Masters in his sixth start.
Hitting balls on the range is one thing.
Shooting 67 at home at Medalist is another.
Beating Scottie Scheffler and Jon Rahm and Rory McIlroy is a whole different ballgame.
“My game feels rusty, I haven’t played in a while.
I had my subtalar fused.
And it’s why he’s clearly hoping to play more in 2024.
“I think that best scenario would be maybe a tournament a month,” Woods said.
He’s likely talking about the meaty part of the golf season, from January-July.
I can’t see him playing the FedEx Cup playoffs or the Sanderson Farms.
But still; he wouldn’t be teeing it up if he didn’t feel he could win.
And he knows he needs to play more for that to become a reality.
“I think that’s realistic.
You would have to start with maybe at Genesis and something in March near The Players.
Again, we have set up right now the biggest events are one per month.
It sets itself up for that.
Now, I need to get myself ready for all that.
I think this week is a big step in that direction.”
Which brings us to the walk.
I didn’t see anything in 2022 or 2023 to believe Woods could win again on the PGA Tour.
There wasn’t a single week where his body didn’t deteriorate as the days wore on.
The goal of this most recent surgery was to stabilize the ankle and improve his walk.
The videos that’ve surfaced on social media have been hugely encouraging.
Yes, it was a flat course.
Yes, he wasn’t hitting shots.
Woods finished middle of the pack that week in 2017.
His score was virtually irrelevant, however.
What mattered was that Woods completed 72 holes and shot four under on Sunday.
He showed that he’d successfully pieced together a golf swing with a fused back.
That he could still get up and down from tricky lies.
That his iron play remained generationally good.
I fully expect to see that again this week, particuarly on Thursday and Friday.
There will be flashes of brilliance.
There will also be clear signs of rust.
What will be most telling, however, is how his walk looks coming up the 18th on Sunday.
And if he’s done that…well, he’s still Tiger Woods.
He made it clear that he was not cool with the process behind that June 6th bombshell.
He didn’t like learning about a landmark decision for the tour he helped build on CNBC.
So quickly without any input or any information about it, it was just thrown out there.
I was very surprised that the process was what it was.
So part of that process was putting me on the board and accepting that position.”
“We have multiple options, but still, we would like to have a deal done December 31st.
That’s what the agreement said in the summer and all parties understand that.
But there are other options out there.”
He truly believes in the viability of team golf.
“There’s a lot of moving parts on how we’re going to play.
Whether it’s here on the PGA Tour or it’s merging, or team golf.
We’re just trying to figure out that process now.
I think that’s something that we have focused on and we don’t take lightly.”
It would seem natural for LIV Golf to continue as the team aspect of the PGA Tour.
If team golf is going to be compelling it has to be the center of attention.
Two guys in one uniform playing a team match against two guys in another uniform.
High-fiving on the greens after a made putt.
Discussing strategy with one another.
With LIV Golf right now, the format doesn’t allow that to happen.
There is, of course, the real possibility that those negotiations falls apart.
Either way, Woods will certainly be involved.
Elsewhere…
Woods isn’t the only one making a comeback this week.
He didn’t play awfullythere was a fourth-place finish at Rivierabut the pain never truly subsided.
He played a few more events before going under the knife.
Despite all the time off, he only slid to No.
33 in the world rankings.
Data Golf already pegs the 25-year-old as a top-20 player (he’s No.
As always, he truly celebrated the win.
Min Woo’s a big bring-the-trophy-everywhere guy.
Also loved this clapback to the legend Club Pro Guy.
Another notable win this week came from LIV Golf’s Dean Burmester.
That’s one way to do it!
Like clockwork: the LIV season ends, the rumor mill begins.
Last year it was Patrick Cantlay and Xander Schauffele, this year it seems to be Jon Rahm.
(The reports have suggested a hanging point in the negotiations has been the format).
His stock’s never been higher.
The reigning Masters champion and super popular with golf fans.
The feud continues: Alan Shipnuck vs. Phil Mickelson.
It was nearly two years ago that an excerpt from Shipnuck’s biography of Mickelson dropped.
