Tiger is back and we hope to learn a lot.
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Tiger Woods is back.
Again.
These are remarkable words in the world of golf. Magic words, some will say. Even though his walk is lame and his game rusty, Tiger’s return at the Hero World Challenge remains one of the holiest weeks in the golf calendar. These days we don’t arrive at Hero expecting to see any form of major championship. Sometimes we don’t arrive to see the golf at all. Instead, we arrive to capture a moment in time – to catch a glimpse of the past, present and future.
Indeed, these same things will be exposed this week, the week of the last return. We will revisit the past when we indulge in the vision of Tiger Woods roaming the fairways and greens of a competitive golf tournament – a site that seems both increasingly rare and eminently familiar. He’ll look like the old version of the player we know, he’ll swing like him, and he’ll wield the same crackling flash of competitive energy that he’s 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 Woods, although familiar, is not the same as that Woods, a man who is no longer invincible or visible. But you won’t have to look at his stride for long 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 the things that happen beyond the ropes, where Tiger’s voice is suddenly louder than even his beefy forearms.
Since Woods’ last start – at the Masters in April – the golf world has changed precipitously around him. The sport is noticeably different now, and in many ways the 15-time champion himself helped shape it. Now for the first time since subtalar fusion surgery After finishing his major championship season in April, Tiger will have the opportunity to speak, to act, to respond. And what do we hope to hear from him? Let’s recap the eight biggest questions below.
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 that he will also answer, in so many words, through his play throughout the week.
The truth is, it’s unreasonable to expect Woods to ever look sharp playing golf again. It may be unreasonable to expect him to be able to play four days in a row without being blinded by pain. But he certainly has hope The April merger operation went a long way in keeping things tolerable. Tolerable could make a considerable difference for a player with a notoriously superhuman pain threshold and an extremely light gaming schedule.
But before we can even consider the idea of Tiger competing again, we need to understand the idea of him playing a tournament to completion. He is one of his last four with this, with his only major championship result coming after a car accident taking place on Sunday at the 2022 Masters.
2. How is the game played?
Another question that Woods’ play in the Bahamas will answer. You see, the downside to Woods’ playing schedule (and his injury-forced absences) is that he rarely, if ever, gets the opportunity to refine his game for tournament play. Yes, it’s Tiger Woods, but even Tiger Woods needs live reps to stay competitive.
There is also the question of his golf swing, who underwent his latest transformation following his 2021 crash. The new move is much more slash than sashay, which is totally fine considering his visibly chiseled upper body, but it leaves open a few notable weaknesses. Can he avoid the big miss? Does he look comfortable twisting and winding on the backswing? Can he contort his legs to hit a ball over his feet?
No one expects to see a championship-caliber short game or major putting this week, but a healthy movement that doesn’t result in a lot of visible grimacing feels like a win.
3. …who is your junior?
When Woods and longtime caddy/friend/confidant Joe LaCava announced their extremely amicable separation during the summer so that LaCava can 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 looper.
This caddy curiosity continues during the week at Hero, where Woods will enter without a defined partner. A name that could be one to watch? Woods’ long-time manager and very close friend, Rob McNamara.
4. What is happening with the TGL?
Tiger led the charge of a group that rallied some of the world’s biggest golf stars and influential institutional investors around a highly technical indoor golf league called TGL. He helped oversee a media campaign and public relations campaign and recruited advertisers and a TV partner.
And then the bubble burst. Literally. The domed roof behind the league’s Palm Beach Stadium collapsed overnight after a sudden power outage, throwing the league into a tailspin and ultimately leading to a year-long delay in the launch.
Where are things today? What does Tiger – player-owner of the league’s Jupiter Links GC franchise – think of the delay? We will know shortly.
5. Are we friendly?
We would be remiss 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 the Saudi Public Investment Fund (or PIF) appears to be a good thing for Tiger, whose legacy remains preserved as long as the Tour continues to exist. On the other, Woods continued criticism of LIV Golfthe lack of public support for the deal and the overall absence of public comment on the issue seem to indicate that he thinks otherwise.
What is Tiger’s position today on the framework agreement with the Saudis? (He was, after all, the first to allude to “sit at the table” with the Saudis to chart the course at the 150th Open.) What did he think of the state of the PGA Tour? (He has long been a strong advocate.) What did he think of Jay Monahan’s handling of the situation ? (A memo later on the merger left his feelings on this subject ambiguous.) It 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 culminated in his installation as the sixth player director on the Tour’s all-important policy council, among other structural changes.
At the time, the media characterized Woods’ referendum as a de facto players’ coup, taking power back from the Tour’s executive leadership and putting it back in the hands of the players after being blindsided by the Monahan deal with the Saudi PIF. It will be curious to see if Woods backs down on this perception of the situation, or if he has other thoughts to offer on the events that preceded it.
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7. How do you take your equity?
The latest development in the merger saga has been the emergence of serious private equity participation on the PGA Tour. According to notes sent to members by Monahan, the Tour is listening to these proposals, selecting serious candidates and will bring any potential agreements to Tour players before ratifying them.
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 considerable amount of money.
And why does this interest Tiger? Beyond his involvement as one of the Tour’s player directors, Woods has already joined with some of the biggest names linked to potential Tour proposals for the TGL, 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 the Hero could lay the groundwork for such an offer.
8. What does your schedule look like?
Tiger’s schedule remains high-profile news in the golf world, and hints of potential 2024 starts could set the stage for the upcoming season. Woods briefly competed at his home event, the Genesis Invitational, in February. He might consider going back.
Otherwise, it will be interesting to see if Tiger discusses his next start, at next month’s PNC Championship, alongside his son Charlie.
