You may have stashed your clubs away for the winter and the calendar is certainly closer to St. Nick than St. Andrews but this is a big week in golf.
No, it’s not a major or a playoff or anything close but this week Tiger Woods is back on the course. And that’s a big deal no matter what time of year it is.
Tiger may be the host of his Hero World Challenge at the exclusive Albany Golf Club in the Bahamas but it will be seventeen of his buddies that welcome him back on the course for the first time in fifteen months.
No one can argue that Woods is the most dominant player of his day and some will say he is the best there ever was but no one can deny that Woods is that special athlete that moves the needle. Even with being off the course since August 2015.
Woods, like Michael Jordan and Muhammad Ali transcended their respective sports and were known the world over by fans and non-sports fans alike.
When Arnold Palmer and Jack Nicklaus were well past their prime and decided to tee it up whether it was a tournament, an outing our just for fun they drew a crowd. And if Nicklaus wanted to tee it up again, and I doubt there is a PGA Tour event that would stop him, he’d draw thousands.
Tiger will do the same until he decides to call it quits. Fans will never tire of watching greatness and whatever opinions we have about Woods his skills on the course were undeniable.
Many are making this out to be more than it actually is. I look at it as an injured golfer making his return in a silly season, inconsequential event to finally try and get his legs under him. Fifteen months in moth balls, two back procedures and unknown anxiety issues are challenges few players could come back from and find their A game the first time out.
I actually think that Tiger’s late withdrawal from the Safeway Open will benefit him. Here, at The Hero World Challenge the only pressure should be to hit the ball, have some fun and make some money for his foundation.
This is just a warm up for his warm up as we won’t see him again until February.
During the past year Tiger appears to have acknowledged that he knows his best days are behind him while still admitting his fire still burns. And that’s a good thing because the game is better when Tiger plays.
Who knows how much longer we will be able to see Tiger play? And it really won’t matter what shape his golf game is in.
He’ll always move the needle.
Tiger practices at Albany
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