Tiger Woods was back in action for the first time in six months at the Hero World Challenge, and while he continues to battle his fitness issues, there were plenty of positives for the American
Tiger Woods jumped a whopping 430 places in the Official World Golf Rankings, despite finishing 18th out of 20 players at last week’s Hero World Challenge in the Bahamas.
In addition to hosting tournaments, Woods was back in action at Albany Golf Club for the first time in six months. The 82-time winner of the PGA Tour had not competed since withdrawing from the third round of the Masters in April due to an ankle injury.
The issue was one of Woods’ most complex injuries yet after he was required to have his subtalar – a joint in the ankle – fused, which led to a lengthy rehabilitation and recovery process.
With his ankle now pain-free the 15-time major champion was able to make a return and, to the delight of his fans, was able to complete all 72 holes in the Bahamas and finished level-par for the tournament. Despite failing to challenge at the top, Woods rocketed through the world rankings.
His week at the Hero World Challenge saw him move to 898th in the world. Of course a long way from his domination at the top of the rankings in previous years, but the return saw him move back into the world’s top 1000 for the first time since his Masters withdrawal.
Woods’ ranking rise came after the 47-year-old had fallen to an all-time career low, having started the week in Albany 1,328th in the world. Unsurprisingly Woods admitted there was an element of rust upon his return, and claimed he still had plenty of things to work on moving forward.
After shooting an opening round three-over 75 last Thursday, he said: “Now I know mentally what I need to do better. Physically, I knew I was going to be OK. Mentally, I was really rusty and made a lot of errors in the mind that normally I don’t make.
I wanted to play. I felt like I was ready to compete and play. I hit it solid most of the day. As I said, I just didn’t mentally do the things I normally would do and I need to do. I still hit it solid, but I hit it crooked. I’ve always had a knack of hitting the ball in the middle of the face, but I need to do a better job where I hit it in my windows.”
Prior to the event Woods announced he was aiming to compete in at least one event a month in 2024, a statement that left many surprised considering his recent injury record. Having completed event one of his comeback, Woods reiterated his stance for next season with 72 holes under his belt.
Tested on whether he actually felt happy with playing once a month in 2024, he answered: “Definitely. I feel that I can get into its cadence. I believe that having a long time off to recuperate, seven days to develop, there’s not an obvious explanation for why I can’t get into that mood.
“It’s simply a question of getting in better shape fundamentally. I feel like my game’s not so far away, however I want to get in better shape.” It is not yet clear where Woods will select to play in January for the present. Meanwhile, he will get back to activity one week from now close by child Charlie at the two-day PNC Title.
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