Fans have been waiting for Tiger to finally make his return to the PGA tour and it seemed as though it was finally happening this year. After several false starts in 2016, the living legend reentered the professional arena at the Farmers Insurance Open at Torrey Pines in San Diego, Calif.
Things were looking good following his December performance at the Hero World Challenge in the Bahamas, but it quickly became apparent that he wasn’t back at 100 percent just yet. Tiger withdrew early from the Dubai Desert Classic due to back spasms after putting up his highest European Tour score in a non-major with 77. Unfortunately, the back pain forced Woods to pull out of the next two tournaments. It had been a decade since Woods had last competed in the Genesis Open (the only PGA Tour event in Los Angeles) and will miss it once again. The injury has also forced him to withdraw from the Honda Classic in Palm Beach, Fla., and has raised serious questions concerning his participation in this year’s Masters Tournament.
The break is probably for the best given Tiger’s recent performances. He wasn’t hitting well off the tee and had more than a few putts that would make most amateur golfers cringe. Despite his troubles, he managed to hit a respectable 72 at Torrey Pines, but it wasn’t enough to make the cut. While few people expected Tiger to immediately return to his usually dominant form, seeing him struggle on courses he traditionally does well on has been tough to watch.
It has been eight years since Tiger last won a major, but at this point it looks as though the 14-time major champion would be content with simply making the cut at most tournaments. The Masters, U.S. Open, Open Championship, and PGA Championships are arguably the most sought-after prizes in the sport and Tiger has the second-most wins all-time. Woods only trails Jack Nicklaus, who holds the record for most majors with 18. While at one point it wasn’t a matter of if, but when Woods would surpass Nicklaus, the question has now become if we’ll ever see him win a major again.
At 41 years old, Tiger should still have plenty of competitive play left in him; it’s really a matter of him being able to recover from his back injuries. If he can get healthy and get his mind right, he could prove that he’s still one of the best golfers in the world. While everyone wants to see Tiger compete again, what they really want is for him to be competitive.
There’s currently no projection on when Tiger will be back, but many have their fingers crossed he’ll return in time for the Masters Tournament. Woods has missed two of the last three Masters, and many expected this to be his comeback year. Ultimately, if he rushes back in order to play at Augusta, he won’t be doing himself or anyone else any favors. Tiger needs to take his time to be 100 percent. Anything else is unfair to both him and the fans.
