Tiger Woods sightings are rare these days, so video of him holding a club naturally takes social media by storm. Not that he deliberately sets out to mimic the Loch Ness monster. Rather, he’s compelled to go slow on his on-course endeavors; yet another surgery after pain on his right foot caused him to withdraw from the Masters last April has made his return to action a big question mark. His increasing susceptibility to injury already had him on a constricted schedule since he won the same major championship in 2019. His February 2021 car accident limited him even more; not for nothing has he been able to play in only five events thereafter.
To be sure, Woods is anything but aggressive with his swing in footage of him making the wild. In fact, “gingerly” would be a good adverb to describe his wedge shots on the ranges of the Liberty National last month and Pebble Beach last week. For context, it’s significant to note that he didn’t make the trips solely to generate interest on the state of his game; in both cases, he was around as host of the Nexus Cup and TGR JR Invitational, respectively. Which, if nothing else, underscore his relative lack of preparedness insofar as actually going for 18 holes, let alone teeing off for four rounds of competitive golf.
Woods being Woods, however, it’s fair to wonder if he’s angling for a return at the Hero World Challenge in December all the same. In announcing the field for the silly season stop that also happens to award world ranking points, he left the 18th and last spot for a “TBA Tournament Exemption.” The move is notable for two reasons. One, the other 17 names are a veritable Who’s Who in the sport, as clear an indication as any of the strength of the event. And, two, he did the same thing last year (although the exercise of his prerogative as host to use the exemption on himself was thwarted by an ailment on the week of the tournament).
Whether Woods will get to play in the Bahamas during the holidays is a crapshoot at this point, but those averse to risk would do well to withhold their bets on a successful bid. Even granting that he gets in shape for the undertaking, rust figures to prevent him from crowding the top of the leaderboard. Then again, fans understand that it’s no longer about prevailing. Considering his frailties, it’s enough that he shows up and reminds all and sundry that, once upon a time, he ruled the sport like no other.
Anthony L. Cuaycong has been writing Courtside since BusinessWorld introduced a Sports section in 1994. He is a consultant on strategic planning, operations and human resources management, corporate communications, and business development.
