Welcome Back, Tiger

For stalwarts of 14-time major champion Tiger Woods, the last two weeks have offered the most optimism since his last PGA TOUR victory at the 2013 Bridgestone Invitational.

Captain’s Assistant Tiger Woods of the U.S. Team smiles during a…

Captain’s Assistant Tiger Woods of the U.S. Team smiles during a press conference following the team’s victory after Sunday Singles matches at the Presidents Cup at Liberty National Golf Club on… Get premium, high resolution news photos at Getty Images

Just a fortnight ago, following a Presidents Cup news conference of the victorious United States squad—in which forty-one-year-old Tiger Woods admitted that he may never again play competitively—the golfing universe was finally confronted with incontrovertible evidence that Woods may indeed never again professionally compete.  Asked for a chronology of his potential return, Woods hesitantly responded: “My timetable is based on what my surgeon says. As I alluded to last week, I’m hitting 60-yard shots. I’m hitting it really straight … it’s a joke, smile, OK.”

Despite his willingness to address the topic humorously, the recovery period following Woods’ April back-surgery (his fourth such surgery to date), clearly entailed substantial discomfort.  During the Presidents Cup at Liberty National Golf Club in New Jersey, the 14-time major champion admitted that even the brief golf cart transits around the course caused severe and aggravating back-pain.  “The bouncing just hurt too much,” Woods reported.

Asked in the tournament’s final press conference whether Tiger could envision himself never again playing professional golf, Woods answered without hesitation: “Yeah, definitely.”  Just two weeks ago, as the United States dominated the Presidents Cup by a margin of 19-11, it appeared that Tiger Woods—himself an eight-time Presidents Cup member—had truly made his curtain call in the world of competitive golf.

Tiger Woods, Captains Assistant of the U.S. Team, looks on during the…

Tiger Woods, Captains Assistant of the U.S. Team, looks on during the Sunday singles matches at the Presidents Cup at Liberty National Golf Club on October 1 in Jersey City, New Jersey. Get premium, high resolution news photos at Getty Images

What a difference two weeks can make.

On October 7^th, after posting a slow-motion video of himself making a full iron swing, Tiger sparked widespread speculation that his recovery was progressing more rapidly than anticipated.  From the video, both the club length and actual swing speed are unclear, but Tiger had indisputably advanced beyond “60-yard shots.”

Smooth iron shots pic.twitter.com/v9XLROZnfW

— Tiger Woods (@TigerWoods) October 7, 2017

On October 15^th, Tiger escalated the suspense.  Through his personal Twitter account, Woods tweeted another video—this time of himself fully garbed in his traditional “final round Sunday red.”

Swinging at full torque, in semblance of vintage Tiger Woods, the 79-time PGA TOUR champion clearly makes a complete swing with a driver.  Within 24 hours, Hank Haney—the world-renowned golf instructor who mentored Tiger through seven of Wood’s fourteen major championships—publicly stated that it was “a swing Tiger could win with…a little stiff looking, but it’s good enough.”

Knowing Haney—whose acclaimed 2012 book, The Big Miss, offered a brutally honest and jarringly frank caricature of Wood’s career—the optimism is very sincere and genuine.  Haney, of all people, does not participate in hollow commendation.

Making Progress pic.twitter.com/I3MZhJ74kI

— Tiger Woods (@TigerWoods) October 15, 2017

Finally, on October 17^th, the indisputable confirmation of Tiger’s successful recovery emerged.  After meeting with the surgeon who performed Tiger’s April back surgery, Mark Steinberg—who has served as Tiger’s agent since 2011—reported that Woods has received full medical clearance to participate in golf activities.

“He can do as much as he needs to do,” Steinberg announced, while also cautioning that “Tiger is going to take this very, very slowly. This is good, but he plans to do it the right way.”  Asked about a potential professional return to the Hero World Challenge tournament in December—an event which Tiger himself hosts, and in which Woods made his last competitive appearance a year ago—Steinberg was leery.  “We have not even talked about it,” Steinberg answered apprehensively. “We will see what each day brings, what each week brings.”

Tiger Woods of the United States hits his tee shot on the 13th hole…

Tiger Woods of the United States hits his tee shot on the 13th hole during the final round of the Hero World Challenge at Albany, The Bahamas on December 4, 2016 in Nassau, Bahamas. Get premium, high resolution news photos at Getty Images

Certainly, Tiger’s acclimation to professional play will be slow, perhaps prolonged over many months.  After missing four consecutive cuts in major championships during his 2015 return to the PGA TOUR circuit, Tiger will certainly approach this recovery more cagily.  Thankfully, the winter offseason offers plentiful opportunities to compete in safe and unconstrained atmospheres: The Hero World Challenge in December, The Sony Open in January, or a whole host of other partial-field events.

If Tiger’s winter recovery proves fruitful, a heavily-anticipated journey up Magnolia Lane, to the hallowed clubhouse of Augusta National, could be only months around the corner.

Tiger Woods celebrates after sinking a putt on the first playoff hole…

Tiger Woods celebrates after sinking a putt on the first playoff hole to win the 2005 Masters on April 10, 2005 at Augusta National Golf Course in Augusta, Georgia. Get premium, high resolution news photos at Getty Images

Cover Image via Twitter