He looks leaner than ever as he gets off the golf cart he has been driving to get onto the putting range here at the sprawling Albany golf course in the Bahamas. In pink T-shirt and black trousers and sporting a french beard, he is in a fairly jovial mood. All eyes are on him and he is only too used to that—after all he is Tiger Woods, the 14 times major champion.
But its an all together different deal this time. The former world number one is making a comeback to competitive golf after a 16-month hiatus. A period which raised doubts about Woods ever returning to big time action—a question that he asked himself too. But on Tuesday morning, those questions have been put to rest for the time being. Woods is back and this time it is not a half baked return. He returns in full competitive mode. He is set to tee off on Thursday, December 1, in the Hero World Challenge—a tournament boasting of 18 PGA tour players which benefits the Tiger Woods Foundation with a purse of US $3.5 million.
Displaying remarkable humility, warmth and candour, Woods described his return to action as “phase 2” of his career during an interaction with the world media assembled ahead of the start of the event. “You cant play this game for ever. I can't compete at high level competitions forever. I want to play golf for a lifetime. I cannot compete for a lifetime,” said Woods, currently rankled 898th in the world.
The pragmatic viewpoint notwithstanding, it was quite clear that he hasn't return for the sake of it.
Will it matter if you don't win here was the question asked. “I am here to win. I haven't played for a while. I want to give my best, put the ball in the right spots, look for the right angles, bury the putts, get myself in the mix . There have been so many changes in the game, but the mindset is still the same. When I am competing, I am here to beat you guys,” he said.
The field consists of 2016 US Open winner Dustin Johnson, Open winner and Rio Olympics silver medalist Henrik Stenson, world no.5 and Ryder Cup hero Jordan Spieth , world number.10 Bubba Watson, Rio Olympic gold medalist Justin Rose and Rio Olympics bronze medalist Matt Kuchar to name a few.
Woods is up against some of his best buddies in the tour. It will be a lot of hard work for Woods, but he believes he is ready. Will he be able to last all three days physically, not just with his game is the big question being asked. It has been a hard work back to peak fitness. He last played in a PGA tour event at the Wyndham Championship where he finished tied 10th. Since then he has undergone two career threatening back surgeries.
“To get back here at this level has been a challenge; a lot of hard work and patience—a quality that you all know has not been my strong point. I just couldn’t get out of the bed. I needed help. It was a tough time," revealed Woods.
Woods, who had to spend more time at home with his two kids—Charlie and Sam—while recovering enjoyed the bit yes—he reworked his entire business—unifying them under one brand called TGR, all the while focusing on an intense recovery and rehab programme. Its only recently that he was able to walk the full course—all 18 holes. The sight of Woods in a cart only heightened the worry and speculation over his return.
“Its different to ride a bike at home for 30-50 miles or walk on the treadmill. Its totally different walking the golf course, my ankles and feet were sore”. But he and his caddie Joe LaCava went through the pain.
He has no answer on how the weekend will turn out to be like. Will it ever see Woods at his best like once before or will it bring the far from perfect, error-prone Woods? He has no answer. “ I don't know right now. I have been away for a long time. Before these surgeries, the longest I was away was for nine months when I underwent a knee reconstruction in 2008”.
He faced the demon asking him whether he would ever return to competitive golf. “To not be able to move, get out of bed, how could I be expected to hit a ball at 120 miles per hour? I did think of it”.
Will he be back to winning the majors again? That is a question which he isn’t ready to answer yet though he has made it clear that beating Arnold Palmer's record of 18 majors is in his sights. “Playing a major is a totally different animal. Its a process. I am at the beginning stage of it”.
It was an emotional moment for him when he spoke of the support he received from his golfing mates on his way to a comeback—trying to erase the doubts, reaffirming his and their faith in his ability to be back on a golf course.
He admitted that he has no idea whether he can play a full tour as of now like before. But he's back because he missed playing golf and because “its fun for me to do this”. He was the vice captain of the Ryder Cup winning US team last month—a role that he relished but also disliked because he couldn’t get on the course and hit a single ball.
He's searching for the adrenalin rush, the energy flow from the moment he tees off. Come this Thursday, Woods and rest of the world will find out whether he's rediscovered not just the “flow” but also the knack to win handsomely.
