It’s hard to convey any opinion or assessment on Tiger Woods in something that resembles a sensible, measured tone. If you give a positive review, you’re ripped for being a deluded homer who’s setup for another instant disappointment. If you’re critical, you’re ripped for being a hateful cynic unwilling to accept the possibility that a great can still find something in the sunset of a career. After dissecting every little detail and morsel of a legendary career, we run to the extremes.
Tiger Woods results: Sunday’s 68 caps successful comeback at Hero World Challenge
Keep calm, but Tiger finished his latest return with another 68 and it’s hard to qualify the week as anything but a success.
A holistic review of this Tiger return this week at the Hero World Challenge should be unequivocally positive. Tiger played 72 pain-free holes, looked strong and healthy, and hung in the middle of the pack in a strong 18-man field. There are several “buts” you can attach to every positive sentence about the latest Tiger comeback. But the course is easy. But it’s a low-stakes hit-and-giggle silly season event. But the chipping still looked shaky at times. But an above-average 72 holes is not indicative of much for long-term sustainability, health-wise and form-wise.
Those are all caveats and it makes sense to keep some grounded perspective about whether Tiger is back or will ever be back. Anything less would be ignoring the facts of the past five years. But I’m not sure how you could watch Tiger for four days this week and have anything other than a positive review and guarded optimism about the future.
Following his final round 68, his second such number of the week, Tiger was adamant with NBC’s Terry Gannon that he was never worried about just “getting through” 72 holes. He was sure his back would hold up and there would be no issues. In the past, that’s been a stated goal — let’s just play 72 holes and stay healthy. It may not have been a concern of Tiger’s this week, but it was from an outsider’s perspective. He played a full 72 holes without incident or grimace. That’s a success.
Tiger also looked to have pop back in his swing in a way he didn’t for prior comebacks. Again, there will be a question of what’s sustainable until we see it for several months. In the vacuum of the Hero World Challenge, and that’s all we’ve got right now, Tiger’s power was stunning. NBC’s walking reporter Jim Bones Mackay, Phil Mickelson’s longtime caddie, said it was “one of the most impressive things I’ve seen this week.” Tiger’s own caddie, Joe LaCava, said even he was taken by surprise by the way his man was driving the ball.
Aside from the power, we’re just not used to seeing Tiger drive the ball this well. There were a few foul balls, but nothing like the constant left and right misses from recent years.
That power and driving ability was on display again in the final round, when he went out in 31 on the front nine. It was the second time in three days he posted that number on Albany’s opening nine. This Sunday streak was largely aided by an eagle at the 7th, which was built on the back of an astounding drive of the green. Tiger said he was trying “hit the ball as high” as he could and this moonshot was executed perfectly.
Whether you’re a Tiger hater or homer, for the second time in three days, the front nine was thrilling to watch. A silly-season event in early December doesn’t matter, but you can still have fun with it in this vacuum we’re confined to. Tiger was walking in birdies ...
...and stalking nuked 2-irons flying the green from 270 yards.
The front nine 31 was again backed up by another 37 on the back nine to bring things back down to earth.
On the scorecard, Tiger’s week finished with 69-68-75-68. The conditions on Saturday were tough and everyone struggled as scoring averages soared. Tiger was sloppy, throwing shots away during a front nine 40 full of bogeys. Those are still going to be there when you’ve barely played for two years. They may always be there even when he does get more “reps” and it’s folly to assume every bad shot is just “rust.” The power and the three sub-70 rounds, however, should be the main takeaway.
We’re not sure when we will see Tiger next. Speculation would peg Tiger to making another start at Torrey Pines at the end of January. That is probably the earliest we would see him. It was at Torrey last year that all good feelings from his start at last year’s Hero World Challenge, where he led the field in birdies, were quickly washed away in a depressing and painful-looking missed cut. This year’s comeback show at the Hero looked different. It could all come undone again in a hurry. But it’s ok to be optimistic and Sunday provided another “data point” to be encouraged.
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