To contend that Tiger Woods has had a fruitful season would be an understatement. True, he was next to atrocious in his immediate past performances; he laid an egg at the Ryder Cup and failed to tame both Phil Mickelson and softened-up Shadow Creek in a made-for-television affair. On the other hand, he did wear himself thin heading into his unlikely triumph at the Tour Championship. And were his 80th PGA Tour triumph his only achievement for 2018, the year would still be deemed a resounding success. As things turned out, he contended in, among other tournaments, two major championships and managed to move up a whopping 655 spots to 13th in world rankings.
Which, for the most part, was why Woods sounded more thankful than disappointed during his presser for the Hero World Challenge yesterday. If nothing else, he understood the depths from where he came and the advances he made to remain the talk of the sport, but for all the right reasons. And considering the full schedule he hitherto subjected himself to in order to make his strides, his hosting of a by-invitation event in the Bahamas this weekend figures to be a welcome respite.
Knowing Woods, though, there will be nothing on his mind but victory when he tees off at Albany. For all the trappings of the luxury resort, he will not be distracted from the same singular pursuit that has propelled his achievements since he chucked his amateur status in late 1996. How well he does is subject to speculation, but what his determination to succeed won’t be. It’s certainly what has enabled him to turn his fortunes for the better despite four back surgeries in the last half decade. These days, he doesn’t just view teeing off as a measure of progress in and of itself; he’s back to believing he begins any competition as the prohibitive favorite.
In any case, there can be no underestimating the remarkable lengths Woods has gone through in order to once again rub elbows with the best of the best in the sport. Certainly, no other player would have been able to get reacquainted with winning in such forceful fashion after having canned a swing coach and changed equipment. Then again, he is who he is, and nothing he does surprises anymore.
Anthony L. Cuaycong has been writing Courtside since BusinessWorld introduced a Sports section in 1994.
