In his prime, Tiger Woods had a remarkable ability to return from a long layoff and play as if he never left.
When Woods comes back this week from a season lost because of two back injuries to play in his Hero World Challenge, there are valid questions about whether he will ever again be a dominant player.
Woods won the tournament, which benefits the Tiger Woods Foundation, a record five times and finished second on another five occasions when it was played at Sherwood Country Club in Thousand Oaks.
That doesn’t mean it’s a pushover event made to order for the host, because Woods always puts together a strong lineup.
The 18-man field this time at new venue Isleworth Country Club in Orlando, Fla., includes defending champion Zach Johnson, Henrik Stenson of Sweden, Justin Rose of England, Masters champion Bubba Watson, Jason Day of Australia, Rickie Fowler, Jordan Spieth, Graeme McDowell of Northern Ireland, FedEx Cup winner Billy Horschel and 2013-14 sensations Jimmy Walker and Patrick Reed.
Keegan Bradley, at No. 31 in the world, is the lowest-ranked player in the field, so Woods should receive a good gauge of where he stands ahead of his 2015 season.
Tiger will turn 39 on Dec. 30 and based on that should have several good years remaining when you consider what the likes of Sam Snead, Julius Boros, Ben Hogan, Vijay Singh, Kenny Perry and Fred Funk accomplished in the decade before they reached 50.
However, Woods has been plagued by knee, achilles, back, elbow, leg and neck injuries in recent years, and has been forced to make swing changes in an effort to take the stress off those areas.
Still, as recently as a year ago, Woods had regained the No. 1 spot in the World Golf Rankings that he held for much of his career, after a 2013 season in which he claimed five victories.
By winning three more times, he will tie Snead’s record of 72 career victories on the PGA Tour, and of course he has 14 major titles, four short of the record held by Jack Nicklaus.
“As I’ve said many times, Sam (Snead) and Jack (Nicklaus) reached their milestones over an entire career,” Woods said after undergoing back surgery on March 31 before sustaining another, unrelated back injury later in the season.
“I plan to have a lot of years left in mine.”
With even decent health, Snead’s record could fall fairly soon, but Nicklaus’ mark is appearing more untouchable as the years go by and Woods continues to come up empty in the Grand Slam events.
His last major title came in the 2008 U.S. Open at Torrey Pines, where he beat Rocco Mediate on one good leg in a playoff for the ages.
However, the Golden Bear is one person who thinks Woods still has a chance.
“I still think he’ll break my record,” Nicklaus, who won the Masters when he was 46, said earlier this year. “As long as he is physically able to do it. …
“He’s 38 years old and he’s probably got another 10 years at least of being able to compete. That’s 40 more majors to win five of them. It shouldn’t be too difficult.
“But then again, I’ve always said, he’s just gotta do it.”
Woods parted ways with swing coach Sean Foley during his absence, and recently hired virtually unknown 37-year-old Chris Como, who interestingly once worked with Hank Haney — who was swing guru for six of those major titles after Tiger won eight with Butch Harmon.
Haney and Harmon believe Woods doesn’t need another swing doctor, and they are not alone.
“Tiger is the most talented golfer that ever lived, without a question,” said Gary Player, a nine-time major champion and one of five players to win the modern Career Grand Slam. “Whether he’ll reach Jack Nicklaus’ majors record is debatable, no one knows.
” … Tiger Woods, if he had never had another lesson, if (stuck with) what he had, he would have won 20, 22, 24 majors. But he’s also been unlucky. Three knee operations, a back operation, and a few other problems.
“So, will he come back as champion? I really hope so because the game needs Tiger Woods.”
Lee Trevino, a six-time major champion, believes he knows what Woods is thinking: “Nothing that we love better when we got hurt, had to have an operation, and then everybody in the locker room behind you are saying: ‘He’s finished, he can’t play anymore.’ … Man, you’re just pounding those balls and you can’t wait to get the hell out there and beat them.”
With all the questions, this much we know: Even if Woods never hits another golf shot, he will go down in the annals of the game as at worst the second-best golfer of all-time.
Of course, the kid who posted Nicklaus’ records on his bedroom wall while growing up in Cypress never dreamed of being No. 2.
–Story courtesy of The Sports Xchange, TSX Sports Editor Tom LaMarre
