Tiger Woods’ latest setback in his bid to return back to his best has to be an extreme morale downer for both the player and his worldwide fans. Woods spent 17 months on the sidelines preparing for his comeback from back surgeries and lasted only 3 rounds before he had to make his latest withdrawal due to ongoing back issues.
When he declared a schedule of four starts in five weeks to start his 2017 season, fans had every reason to be optimistic about his health and frame of mind. However, a missed cut at Torrey Pines and an opening round of 77 on the way to withdrawing at the Dubai Desert Classic brought everyone back to the harsh reality.
“My doctors have advised me not to play the next two weeks, to continue my treatment and to let my back calm down,” Woods said on his website. “This is not what I was hoping for or expecting. I am extremely disappointed to miss the Genesis Open, a tournament that benefits my foundation, and The Honda Classic, my hometown event. I would like to thank Genesis for their support, and I know we will have an outstanding week.”
Woods now faces the same old situation of reassessing his injury and the question to be asked here is, Can he really do it anymore physically? It’s commendable that he is trying to come back from a situation where he couldn’t get out of bed and didn’t know if he could ever play again but has he run out of gas to put in so much effort?
Before he withdrew in Dubai, Woods stood up to his reputation of being stubborn and not giving away much, he insisted that he was feeling fine and wasn’t in any pain at all. However, it was there for everyone to be seen that he was stiff and ailing. Mark Steinberg said in a statement that the back spasms weren’t related to the back surgeries he has had in the last three years but how much can we believe of what Woods’ camp says anymore.
When he last completed a full event on the PGA Tour at the Hero World Challenge in December, he appeared to have built up a comfort level in his game through a good amount of practice. However, at Torrey Pines, he looked far less sharp comparitively and his play raised doubts of how much practice he had been able to get in since the turn of the year.
The nightmarish struggle that he has been going through puts a shadow on how great he has been. Let’s not forget the Tiger Woods of old who dominated golf for nearly two decades. Unbelievable length off the tee and incredible skills of manufacturing a shot out of nowhere no matter what the situation was, deft touch around the greens and ability to make a putt when needed is what made him, arguably, the greatest of all time.
Also Read: Tiger Woods drops out of two PGA Tour events due to back spasms
It’s important to remember where he has been to put things in to perspective with regards to where he might be headed. Rewind to his years before 2014, Tiger Woods won 79 times on the PGA Tour, including 14 major championships. He withdrew from just five tournaments and missed the cut nine times in 18 years. There was a stage where he went six straight seasons without missing a cut or posting a withdrawal.
It’s been a tale to forget since then as Woods debatably enters the twilight of his career. Woods, now 41 and without a major championship victory in nine years, has withdrawn or missed the cut 11 times in 23 starts. From the time he underwent his first back surgery in April 2014, Woods has completed 72 holes in just nine of the 19 tournaments he has entered.
It’s mind boggling to consider what developments have take place in the world of golf since his last major triumph at the US Open at Torrey Pines, nine years ago:
Rory McIlroy had barely cracked the top 200 of the world rankings and was a teengaer who was finding his feet in the world of golf.
Jason Day had just begun his rookie campaign on the PGA Tour and years away from his first victory professionally.
Jordan Spieth hadn’t even committed to taking up golf as a career and was still playing high school baseball.
It’s not only the toll of the injuries (four knee operations, three back surgeries, neck and achilles injuries, elbow issues) that has led to his sharp fall but also the mental suffering he has gone through.
The car crash on Thanksgiving night in 2009 and ensuing sex scandal allegations had a huge bearing on Tiger Woods the golfer. Furthermore, the controversial firing of Steve Williams, on his bag for twelve of his major championship victories, had a huge impact in throwing him off track. More recently, his split with girlfriend, Lindsey Vonn has been a bitter pil for him to swallow in periods of his golfing darkness.
Still, Woods showed us what a true warrior he is by winning five times on tour in 2013 and being voted the Players Player of the Year. But it feels like forever since that happened as his back surgeries and struggles on the course have cast a lengthening shadow on his efforts to return back to his best.
It remains to be seen when we’ll see him back out on the golf course again. Leave alone talk of him winning or contending until he can string a few months of being healthy and get a few full tournaments under his belt. If he is anywhere near enough being in playing shape, expect him to turn up at Augusta in April and make a run at a fifth green jacket.
With the signs he has shown in his last few comeback attempts, it’s hard to imagine him avoiding re-injury long enough to ever get back to playing his old brand of golf. But yet again, knowing Tiger’s never-say-die attitude, it’s hard to stop believing he can make another run until he finally calls time on his career and throws in the towel.
