It was all going so well for fans of Tiger Woods.
Last seen waving ‘goodbye’ to St. Andrews at the 150th Open Championship in July, there were signs that all was coming good once again.
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The 46-year-old was a confirmed starter at his own Hero World Challenge this week, before a made-for-tv Match VII would have seen him pair up with current world number one Rory McIlroy against Justin Thomas and Jordan Spieth.
The three-week run was then to end with the legend pairing up once again with son Charlie at the PNC Championship, another ‘fun’ event at which both excelled when running-up to the Daly’s last year.
I am excited to announce that I will be in the field for this year’s #HeroWorldChallenge. A big welcome to @K_Kisner and @TommyFleetwood1 for joining us as well. See you soon at Albany!
— Tiger Woods (@TigerWoods) November 9, 2022
Just a week ago, it was suggested that, despite that almost life-threatening car crash, Tiger was on his way to walking the full length of the Albany course this week, with journalist Dan Rapaport quoting Tiger as saying: “Can’t take a cart. This isn’t fantasy golf.”
And then it all went askew.
Tiger announced on Monday that he would have to withdraw from his own tournament, citing plantar fasciitis in his right foot as the reason for his non-attendance.
— Tiger Woods (@TigerWoods) November 28, 2022
Although likely to appear in the remaining two events on his 2022 schedule, it’s of massive interest to discover how Tiger was playing before the breaking news of his latest injury?
In an interview with Golf Channel’s Todd Lewis, the five-time Masters champion revealed the answer to be ‘pretty well, thank you!’
“I was playing at home quite a bit, playing 18 holes shooting 65s and 64s, and walked one nine holes and shot 5-under, I was playing well,”
However, as many have feared, the pressure and toil of a four-day competition might be too much:
“But it’s the added load, the back-to-back days, in a tournament situation of four days in a row. My planner just didn’t like it. The only thing I can do for it is to rest it. Obviously scrape it, ice it, stretch it, it just takes time.”
Golfers often talk of ‘the process’ – the repeated routines, constant practise, increasing the workload to gain full fitness, rhythm or technique – and, even though Tiger might be unlikely to compete at the very highest level again, he is determined to complete the rehabilitation as best as his body will allow.
“Oh yeah. The scores I was shooting were good,” he told Lewis. “I was doing beach walks. I was leg pressing a lot. I was doing a lot of different things that I hadn’t been able to do all year.”
Tiger isn’t naïve, though, and recognises some limitations, particularly the missed-cut at St. Andrews, something that hit him deep.
“I had a couple of setbacks, procedurally. That took time, and getting ready for a major championship that didn’t quite work out the way I wanted it to. It’s part of the process.”
Fans of one of, if not the greatest golfer of all-time should not have to wait long to see him in action on the course, but these constant instances are a concern.
We can only hope at some point he completes the process.
