If there’s anything Tiger Woods has a surfeit of, it’s confidence, so his announcement of his return to competitive golf raised few eyebrows. If anything, yesterday’s news from his camp was but an acknowledgment of a development all and sundry expected; he had been posting social media updates on the progression of his convalescence from a fourth back surgery in April, so his comeback was a matter of when, not if. And, certainly, what better tournament for him to secure a sponsor’s exemption than at his own Hero World Challenge?
To be sure, Woods looked nowhere near to wielding a longstick this time last month. In a presser for the Presidents Cup, he even went so far as to admit already entertaining the possibility of a future without golf. Since then, however, his Twitter and Instagram feeds have shown him moving from what he laughingly termed “straight” 60-yard shots to controlled “stingers” to full-on drives.
For Woods, the good news is that his latest attempt to regain his place among the sport’s elite comes with low expectations. Unlike in his previous stabs, he did not force himself and accelerate his timetable. On the contrary, he rehabbed with absolutely no completion date in mind. As he noted, the decision was Dr. Richard Guyer’s to make; the orthopedic surgeon performed the anterior lumbar interbody fusion procedure at the Texas Back Institute, and had complete discretion on his therapy schedule.
Nonetheless, Woods is Woods, so not a few quarters will likely deem him ready from the get-go. Never mind that he’s 42 and far removed from his dominating days. As far as they’re concerned, the fact that he pronounced himself fit enough to tee off speaks volumes of his belief in his capacity to stand toe to toe against the very players he needs to overcome en route to the top.
For Woods, though, there’s only one estimation that matters: his own. And evidently, he has learned to consider patience as his ally. It’s why he has peace of mind, and why even the most skeptical need to give him the benefit of the doubt.
Anthony L. Cuaycong has been writing Courtside since BusinessWorld introduced a Sports section in 1994. He is the Senior Vice-President and General Manager of Basic Energy Corp.
