Phil Mickelson’s ex-caddie Jim ‘Bones’ Mackay expects Tiger Woods to contend at Torrey Pines

Count Jim “Bones” Mackay among those in the world of golf who foresee Tiger Woods’ name toward the top of the leaderboard on Sunday at Torrey Pines.

What to expect from the former world No. 1 in the latest iteration of his comeback tour is — with no offense to runaway Tournament of Champions winner Dustin Johnson — the most buzzworthy topic on the PGA Tour early in the new year, and Phil Mickelson’s ex-caddie is all on board the Tiger Hype Train.

Woods’ T9 showing at last month’s Hero World Challenge informed the prognostication by Mackay, who took a brief break from his duties as NBC/Golf Channel on-course reporter to caddie for Justin Thomas at the Sony Open. That, and the years he spent as Mickelson’s bagman with a front-row seat to Tiger’s ups and downs.

So Bones knows whereof he speaks when it comes to evaluating the proficiency of Woods’ game, which will be on display in Tiger’s first full-field event since last year: the Farmers Insurance Open, starting Thursday.

“I was blown away by what I saw from him at his own event there in the Bahamas,” Mackay said during Golf Channel’s broadcast of the final round of the Tournament of Champions. “We all saw his clubhead speed numbers.”

When Woods made a successful return to competitive golf at the Hero, which he hosts as a benefit to his foundation, even long-time critic Brandel Chamblee was awed by his length off the tee, fueled by the speed of his ball and clubhead.

“His ball speed on one shot was 178 miles an hour; another shot was 180,” Chamblee said after Woods fired an opening-round 69 at the Hero, according to GolfDigest.com. “That’s about a 96 mile-an-hour fastball. That is big league stuff. The last time Tiger played, his clubhead speed was 114 miles an hour. That basically translates to a 10, 12 [m.p.h.] difference in ball speed.”

With Woods blasting his opening drive in the Bahamas past Thomas’ ball and reportedly blowing by DJ in practice rounds, it would appear Tiger has his fastball back. Mackay, for one, believes it won’t be long before the 14-time major champion plays his way into the mix.

In fact, with eight career victories at Torrey Pines, including the 2008 U.S. Open, on his resume, Tiger could well be making noise at the Farmers, Mackay averred.

“He’s going to tee it up here in San Diego,” noted Mackay, “and it would not surprise me at all if he got in the conversation of the weekend of that event given the success he’s had there in the past.”