It’s been a long wait. 10 months, 301 days, 7,224 hours to be exact since Tiger Woods teed it up in a competitive golf tournament. In early February he withdrew from the Dubai Desert Classic and we haven’t seen him since. We’ve heard about his back fusion surgery, we heard his doubt when it came to his future in golf at the President’s Cup and now here we are. The golf world is anxiously awaiting the return of Tiger to the PGA Tour and now it’s time for Tiger to tee it up at the Hero World Challenge.
Tiger Woods Returns at the Hero World Challenge
Maybe, just maybe, he’ll stick around this time and his “pain-free” practice rounds will lead to a consistent fix of Tiger Woods on the PGA tour for the months to come.
Tiger is good for the game of golf. He’s largely responsible for the landscape of the game today. Because of what Tiger did first, golfers are now explosive, strong athletes because Tiger was an athlete at a time when you could be really successful on tour with a massive beer gut. When Tiger is on the course, more people watch the game, more fans come out to events, and golf gets more recognition on a national level.
It will be awesome to watch Tiger, the pioneer of the modern game, take the course alongside the likes of Justin Thomas, Dustin Johnson, and Jordon Spieth. Just imagine for a moment, what would a late Sunday afternoon with these three players playing at their highest level with Tiger Woods nipping at their heels be like? The thought makes my head spin.
What to Watch For
Tiger joins an elite field at the Hero World Challenge, here’s what to watch for in the Bahamas.
This field is ridiculous
Obviously, no one is going to say no to Tiger when he asks you to come play in his event. As a result, the lowest ranked player in the Official World Golf Ranking (OWGR) is Kevin Chappell and he’s 32nd in the world (minus Tiger who is currently 1,199 in the world). That’s an elite field. Eight of the top 10 in the OWGR will be in attendance as well as the Race to Dubai champion, Tommy Fleetwood, and arguably the hottest golfer in the world in Justin Rose. The stars are gathering in the Bahamas and it’s the last time we will see a field anywhere close to this front-loaded until early February.
Will Tiger’s swing live up to the hype?
We’ve been hearing it for weeks. Hank Haney says that this is a swing Woods can win with. Tiger is smoking Rickie Fowler off the tee in practice rounds. And Brad Faxon has seen Woods outdrive Dustin Johnson on a consistent basis. That gets me excited. If one person was saying he was healthy, that would worry me. But adding up the number of players who have spoken about his game, it has to be true. Even Brandel Chamblee, a Tiger pessimist, has said he looks good.
If he’s really pain-free, hitting it over 300 yards, and outdriving arguably the longest hitter ever then this should be a really fun week for golf fans. But then again similar things have been said everytime he makes a come back. Hopefully, he can put 72 holes together this weekend and then back it up with another 72-hole performance.
Prediction
I could reasonably pick every golfer in the field to win the event. But I’m going to give the edge to Rickie Fowler. Fowler began his 2017-2018 campaign with a solo second at the OHL Classic at Mayakoba. Three 67’s and a 65 is not a bad week at the office. In addition, this event was moved to Albany Golf Course in 2015. Since that switch, Fowler has two third-place finishes and is a combined 34-under par in those two tournaments.
Tiger’s return is here and an elite field joins him. If he lives up to the hype surrounding his comeback, his swing, and his health then it might be an awesome week in the Bahamas.
JERSEY CITY, NJ – OCTOBER 01: Captain’s Assistant Tiger Woods of the U.S. Team listens during a press conference following the team’s victory after Sunday Singles matches at the Presidents Cup at Liberty National Golf Club on October 1, 2017, in Jersey City, New Jersey. (Photo by Keyur Khamar/PGA TOUR)
