Tiger Woods intensifies practice, may return to golf ‘a lot sooner’ than expected

Tiger Woods’ return to competition may not be far away, as Golf Channel’s Tim Rosaforte reported on Tuesday that the sidelined superstar has escalated his practice sessions on the range and on the course.

The 14-time major champion, who missed the Masters earlier this month as he continued rehabbing his injured back, has for the last couple of weeks been “involved in a series of four-to-five-hour practice sessions at Medalist Golf Club … including the playing of some holes,” Rosaforte said.

Rosaforte added that Woods, whose last competitive start was in August at the Wyndham Championship, “looked great, was talking to everybody in an upbeat mood, couldn’t have been happier.”

Following his T10 finish at the Wyndham, Woods, who, had his first back surgery in March 2014, has been on the DL recovering from two more procedures performed in September and October. With speculation flying that the four-time Masters winner planned to play in the men’s first major of the season, Woods finally put the rumors to rest the Friday before the Augusta tilt.

“I’ve been hitting balls and training daily, but I’m not physically ready,” Woods said on his website. “I’ve said all along that this time I need to be cautious and do what’s best for my long-term health and career. Unfortunately, playing Augusta next week wouldn’t be the right decision. I’m absolutely making progress, and I’m really happy with how far I’ve come, but I still have no timetable to return to competitive golf.”

Rosaforte has his finger on the pulse of Team Tiger and noted Tuesday that Woods had made “incredible” progress since he was having noticeable trouble just riding around in a golf cart at the Hero World Challenge in December.

The increased practice, according to Rosaforte, “points to him coming back a lot sooner than I think most of us expected.”