What to Expect from Tiger’s Comeback

Honestly, I don’t really know what to expect from Tiger’s latest comeback. In case you’ve completely missed it, Woods is scheduled to play in the Hero World Challenge, his very first event since withdrawing from the European Tour’s Dubai Desert classic way back in February. That was about 2 months into his last comeback, where it seemed like he rushed back from surgery too quickly and ended up hurting himself even worse.

Despite his last failed comeback, there are small signs that this time will be different. There are small things that point to the fact that Tiger really wants to come back this time. In the month leading up to his announced comeback, he was very adamant about posting swing videos on his social media. The golfing world went crazy when Woods posted a video of himself taking full swings with the driver in his traditional Sunday red, and again when he posted a video of him hitting the Tiger stinger. Both times Tiger was not only able to execute the shot successfully, but his swing looked very smooth and he seemed very comfortable hitting both shots. This is very different from the previous comeback, where it seemed like the motion he was making was almost forced, and very mechanical, but his swing now looks very rhythmic. Ian Baker-Finch was one of the people who gave Woods high remarks, observing during practice that “[Tiger’s] swing was very smooth” and that “he looked normal”. On top of that, there are other positive signs from those close to Tiger. There were a lot of concerns that Tiger wouldn’t have the distance to keep up with the younger, longer hitters on Tour, but Rickie Fowler dispelled those thoughts when he was quoted saying that Woods was hitting the ball consistently farther than him during a range session.

However, the one thing that many are still hung up on is the nature of Tiger’s injury itself. The lower back is a crucial part of the golf swing, and bears a lot of stress throughout the motion. The fact that Wood’s back has been substantially weakened by these surgeries makes it seem like the motion that he makes will not be sustainable at such a high level for a long period of time. Brandel Chamblee is one of the heavy critics of Tiger’s latest comeback, citing that there are almost no comeback stories of a professional athlete coming back from a serious back injury, let alone a pro golfer coming back from one. It seems like Tiger is more likely to overdo things, and if he does, there is less of a chance he can come back again with an even weaker back.

All things considered, I feel like there’s something different about this comeback. Based on everything I’ve seen and heard, it sounds like Woods is in a position where he’s not only physically ready, but also mentally prepared to return to professional golf. It certainly helps that the Hero World Challenge is his event, there is no cut, and very little pressure on Woods to perform well. Does he have what it takes to reach 18 or 19 majors? Only time will tell for that, but based on what I’ve seen so far, Tiger will be a PGA Tour victor once again, provided he continues to stay healthy and doesn’t overdo things. You may not be able to teach an old dog new tricks, but Big Cat still has some fight in him, and it seems like he hasn’t quite finished rewriting the history books just yet.

Written by Paul Choma