Tiger Woods is back.
Again.
These are remarkable words in the world of golf. Magic words, some will say. Even if his gait is limping and his game rusty, Tiger’s return at the Global Heroes Challenge Golf tournament week remains one of the most sacred on the calendar. These days, we don’t arrive at Hero expecting to see major tournaments. Sometimes, we don’t arrive to see golf at all. Instead, we come to capture a moment in time — to take a look at the past, the present and the future.
Indeed, those same things will be at work this week, the week of the final comeback. We will see the past as we indulge in the vision of Tiger Woods walking the fairways and greens of a competitive golf tournament—a site that seems both increasingly rare and eminently familiar. He will look like the old version of the player we know, he will swing like the old version of the player, and he will wield the same crackling competitive energy he always carried. Of course, he will not be the old version of the player we know. He will be This version, the one we see in the present. This forest, although familiar, is not the same as that Woods, a man no longer invincible or visible. But it won’t take long to observe his gait to realize that the Tiger Woods we see in the future won’t be remembered for his score or his walk today. Instead, he’ll be remembered for what happens beyond the ropes, where Tiger’s voice is suddenly louder than his muscular forearms.
Since Woods last traveled — to the Masters in April — the golf world has changed dramatically around him. The sport is now markedly different, and the five-time champion himself has helped shape it in many ways. Now, for the first time in subtalar fusion surgery After ending his major championship season in April, Tiger will have a chance to speak, to act, to respond. And what do we hope to hear from him? Below, we recap the eight biggest questions.
1. So… how’s the leg?
A question Tiger is sure to answer in the most cryptic and uninformative way possible when he addresses the media for the first time this week. A question he will also answer, in a nutshell, with his game throughout the week.
In truth, it’s unreasonable to think that Woods will ever get back to golfing shape. It may be unreasonable to think that he’ll be able to play four days in a row without being blinded by pain. But he’s certainly hopeful. April Fusion Surgery has gone a long way in keeping things tolerable. Tolerable This could make a huge difference for a player with a superhuman pain threshold and an extremely light playing schedule.
But before we can entertain the idea of Tiger competing again, we have to accept the idea that he could play a tournament all the way to the end. He’s in his last four at that, with his only major championship appearance coming after a car accident on Sunday at the 2022 Masters.
2. How does the game play?
Another question that will be answered by Woods’ play in the Bahamas. Indeed, the downside of Woods’ playing schedule (and his injury-related absences) is that he rarely, if ever, gets a chance to refine his game for tournaments. Yes, he’s Tiger Woods, but even Tiger Woods needs live repetitions to remain competitive.
There is also the question of his golf swing, which underwent its latest transformation following its 2021 crash. The new move is much sharper than sashay, which is perfectly fine considering its noticeably chiseled upper body, but it leaves some notable weaknesses open. Can it avoid the big mistake on the right? Is he comfortable twisting and curling during the backswing? Is he able to contort his legs to hit a ball above his feet?
No one expects to see a major championship-caliber short game or putting this week, but a healthy swing that doesn’t result in a lot of visible grimacing feels like a victory.
3. …who is your caddy?
When Woods and his longtime caddie/friend/confidant Joe LaCava announced their extremely amicable separation over the summer so that LaCava could carry Patrick Cantlay’s bagThis opened a strange vortex in Tiger Woods’ world: for the first time in his playing life, he found himself without a curler.
That curiosity about the caddie continues this week at Hero, where Woods will compete without a set partner. One name to watch? Woods’ longtime manager and close friend, Rob McNamara.
4. What’s happening with the TGL?
Tiger led a group that brought together some of the world’s biggest golf stars and influential institutional investors around a technology-based indoor golf league called TGL. He helped oversee a media and public relations campaign and signed deals with advertisers and a television partner.
And then the bubble burst. Literally. The domed roof behind the league’s Palm Beach stadium collapsed during the night after a sudden power outage, which wreaked havoc within the league and ultimately caused a year-long delay to the launch.
Where does the situation stand today? What does Tiger, player-owner of the league’s Jupiter Links GC franchise, think about this postponement? We’ll find out soon.
5. Do we feel friendly?
It would be wrong to discuss the “past, present and future” of professional golf without mentioning the hydrogen bomb that exploded in the sport on June 6 of this year.
On the one hand, the merger between the PGA Tour and Saudi Arabia’s Public Investment Fund (PIF) seems like a good move for Tiger, whose legacy remains intact as long as the Tour continues to exist. On the other, Woods’ decision to Continuous reviews on LIV GolfThe lack of public support for the deal and the general absence of public comment on the issue seem to indicate that he thinks otherwise.
Where does Tiger stand today on the framework agreement with the Saudis? (He was, after all, the first to hint at “sitting at the table“with the Saudis to pave the way for the 150th Open.) What does he think of the state of the PGA Tour? (He has long been a vocal advocate.) What does he think of Jay Monahan’s handling of the situation? (A later memo (on the merger, his feelings on this subject are ambiguous.) This will certainly be a topic of conversation.
6. Conversations about the coup
The golf world was stunned when Woods filed a signed list of demands to PGA Tour Commissioner Jay Monahan in September, setting off the chain of events that resulted in his installation as the sixth players’ director on the Tour’s all-important board, among other structural changes.
At the time, the media called Woods’ referendum a veritable players’ coup, one that would have taken power away from the Tour’s management and put it back in the hands of the players after being blindsided by Monahan’s deal with the Saudi PIF. It will be interesting to see if Woods will reconsider that perception, or if he has more details to offer about the events leading up to it.
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7. How do you raise your equity?
The latest development in the merger saga has been the emergence of serious private equity interest on the PGA Tour. According to notes sent to members by Monahan, the Tour is listening to those proposals, reviewing serious candidates and will submit any potential deal to the Tour players before ratifying it.
Such a sale could see part of the company allegedly formed between the PGA Tour and the PIF, PGA Tour Companies, sold to a major PE player for a fortune in cash.
And why does this interest Tiger? Beyond his involvement as one of the tour’s player directors, Woods has already established a partnership with some of the Tour’s biggest names linked to potential TGL bids, including Fenway Sports Group’s Tom Werner and billionaire partners Arthur Blank (owner of the Atlanta Falcons) and Steve Cohen (owner of the New York Mets).
Woods’ influence in the game could have a major influence on any potential Tour partner, and his words to Hero could lay the groundwork for such an offer.
8. What is your schedule like?
Tiger Woods’ schedule remains a big story in the golf world, and hints at potential starts in 2024 could set the stage for the upcoming season. Woods briefly played his home event, the Genesis Invitational, in February. He may consider returning there again.
Otherwise, it will be interesting to hear if Tiger discusses his next start, at next month’s PNC Championship, alongside his son Charlie.
