Tiger’s Return To Golf: Be Thankful & Be Realistic

When the pictures and videos of the car driven by Tiger Woods flashed across TV screens, computer monitors, and smartphones across the world, we as a golf community expected the worst.

Let’s face it: we expected the end.

 

 

 

 

 

 

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I sure expected it. Given the visuals and the mangled and broken right leg that crumbled like a coffee cake, his back problems and long career, I expected this was the end of the line.

I even figured that the last televised round of golf that we’d ever see Tiger participating in would have been his weekend playing with his son Charlie at the 2020 PNC Championship a few months prior.

 

 

 

 

 

 

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The day after the Woods-hosted Genesis Invitational looked like the end. But to quote Diana Ross and the Supremes hit song ‘The Happening,’ “Ooh, and then it happened.”

The “it” was a driving range session filmed in a viral video.

 

 

 

 

 

 

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Seventy-two hours have passed since Tiger Woods dropped an entire three seconds of video content that lit up the golf world like nothing it had seen since, well, since Tiger’s career appeared to be officially over with his horrific accident. And yes, while he looked good, let’s also be realistic here because of these major points:

This was three whole seconds of video…three whole seconds

Did Tiger look fluid? Yes. Did Tiger look comfortable? Yes. Did Tiger look like the precision machine he has been? Yes. Does this mean anything? No. Despite every golf magazine bloviating what we can learn from Tiger’s range video, it’s barely a video beyond the basic meaning of the word. It’s half of an old Vine in length. It’s wonderful to see him on the range again, swinging away while sporting his new leg sleeve and all, but 3-seconds of one swing means nothing whatsoever.

 

 

 

 

 

 

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Swinging a good swing is only one physical aspect

Woods whipping his wedge was a very pretty shot, and it was also a wonderful product placement moment for the new Full Swing portable launch monitor (a company to which he is both an investor and endorser). But loading up the right leg to hit wedges compared to going full bore with the driver are two totally different sets of mechanics and pressure. We’ve seen one club out of the fourteen here and while good to see it paints a razor thin picture. Let’s also not forget a week playing a PGA Tour event consists of 5-6 rounds and walking 20+ miles to do so. 

 

 

 

 

 

 

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Will Tiger ever be the same again, again?

If there was anything that helped save Tiger’s potential third act of his career it’s the fact that he was in amazing physical condition when his accident happened. While no recovery is easy, it’s often better to be in Tiger shape than it is to be in my shape when major events happen (my shape would be commonly known as “round.”) However, this is now the latest in a long string of rebuilds and redesigns that Tiger has had to endure in his career and only time will tell us if he can ever be what he once was or an all new, reimagined Tiger Woods.

 

 

 

 

 

 

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Three seconds proved one huge thing

Tiger Woods still owns the entire golf world. No Black Friday match, no major winner, no insert golf news story holds our attention and makes us crave more and more than Tiger Woods did, does, and will for the foreseeable future.

So when we get to sit down this Thanksgiving and remind ourselves what to be thankful for when it comes to the game of golf, we should be thankful that Tiger Woods gets to spend that day with his kids, his girlfriend, his loved ones. Everything else, including any chance of a return to the game, is just gravy.

 

 

 

 

 

 

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But much like roasting a holiday turkey, both Tiger and golf fans need to make sure that when it comes to his recovery that we do not take it out of the oven before it’s ready for showtime. 

Have a wonderfully happy, safe, and healthy Thanksgiving! And, hit ‘em well.

Cover Image Via Instagram