Tiger Woods and Phil Mickelson gave us some compelling golf over the years. We might see it again next month.
Woods announced on his website that he plans to return to competitive golf in the Safeway Open from Oct. 13-16 at Silverado Resort and Spa in Napa, Calif., the first of three events he hopes to play before the end of the year.
Mickelson, his longtime rival, also is in the field for the Safeway and immediately began lobbying to play alongside Woods.
“I’m hoping we can get paired together (at the Safeway Open),” Lefty said of his longtime rival. “That would be really fun. I would love it. It’s great to have him back, and hopefully he’s physically able to practice the way he needs.”
Woods has not played competitive golf since he underwent two back procedures after he tied for 10th in the Wyndham Championship in August 2015.
“My rehabilitation is to the point where I’m comfortable making plans, but I still have work to do,” Woods said in a statement at tigerwoods.com. “Whether I can play depends on my continued progress and recovery. My hope is to have my game ready to go. …
“It could be a fun fall. It was difficult missing tournaments that are important to me, but this time I was smart about my recovery and didn’t rush it.”
Woods’ schedule includes the Safeway Open, the first event of the 2016-17 PGA Tour season; the Turkish Airlines Open from Nov. 3-6; and the Hero World Challenge, which benefits the Tiger Woods Foundation, from Dec. 1-4 in the Bahamas.
“Silverado is the perfect course for him because it is so straightforward,” said CBS commentator Johnny Miller, who is tournament director of the Safeway. “There is nothing funky about it. It’s a very straightforward course, sort of his kind of course. A lot like Torrey Pines. I think he’ll love being back in California. If he can get a good first round and get some confidence. Just get some confidence and springboard from there …
Everybody is pulling for him. It is quite an amazing thing to come back from this long layoff. We better have some extra room for all of these people that are going to show up. ” … He is probably going to be nervous. It is going to be like a young pro just starting out on tour. Almost like his first career didn’t happen. I had the same thing, I went through a two-and-a-half year slump and I had to sort of get back to basics. It was very nerve-wracking after not playing for a while.”
Woods’ statement also said he would take part in the Tiger Woods Invitational, scheduled for Oct. 10-11 in the Monterey Peninsula.
–Story courtesy of The Sports Xchange, TSX Golf Editor Tom LaMarre
