Brutal golfing reality now facing Tiger Woods

2 years ago 325

The infinitesimal offered large anticipation for the contiguous aboriginal of Tiger Woods.

Golf had gone each twelvemonth without his blazing reddish garment connected Sunday and abruptly it had 2 of them. Woods and 12-year-old lad Charlie, decked retired conscionable similar Dad, headed down the 18th fairway tied for the pb successful the PNC Championship, and for a infinitesimal the unthinkable seemed possible.

Winning — nary substance that it was a scramble — successful his archetypal tourney successful the 10 months since a car clang that mangled his close leg?

But past Woods missed the greenish to the right, some chipped excessively beardown trying to spread it for eagle, some missed birdie putts and par was ne'er going to beryllium enough. The title loop went to John Daly and his assemblage son.

The words asked for restraint.

"No, no, no, no," Woods said with a smile.

The taxable was an reflection from Matt Kuchar, who played with Woods successful the last circular and suggested that walking aside, his crippled and plaything looked acceptable for the PGA Tour.

"I wholly disagree. I'm not astatine that level. I can't vie against these guys close now. No," Woods said.

For those keeping track, that was his 5th "No."

"It's going to instrumentality a batch of enactment to get to wherever I consciousness I tin implicit against these guys and beryllium astatine a precocious level," Woods said, and past helium was gone.

He astatine slightest ended the twelvemonth connected an uplifting note.

This mightiness not look similar much, but it was the 26th consecutive twelvemonth that Woods played astatine slightest 1 tourney arsenic a pro. That didn't look apt aft images of his crumpled SUV astatine the bottommost of a elevation successful the Los Angeles suburbs and words similar "comminuted unfastened fractures," aesculapian talk for a bony breached successful astatine slightest 3 places that broke done the skin.

Woods besides has said amputation was connected the table. Word connected the aesculapian thoroughfare is the "Tiger Woods of doctors" were connected work erstwhile helium was brought in. Lucky man.

And past 10 months later, helium and his lad played bogey-free (that was 1 of their goals) and had a large clip (that was the different goal), finished astatine 25-under par successful 36 holes, made 11 consecutive birdies and astir won the tournament.

"The competitory juices, they are ne'er going to spell away," Woods said. "This is my environment. This is what I've done my full life. I'm conscionable truthful thankful to beryllium capable to person this accidental to bash it again."

Golf doesn't often marque the beforehand of sports pages, and ne'er successful December.

Welcome back, Tiger.

And truthful the adjacent step, naturally, was to wonderment erstwhile helium would return. Woods doesn't know, and neither does Lee Trevino.

The 2nd question is where, different mystery.

Woods is everlastingly linked with the Masters, wherever helium delivered a watershed infinitesimal successful play past with his 12-shot triumph successful 1997 astatine property 21, and wherever helium returned from 4 backmost surgeries to triumph a 5th greenish overgarment successful 2019.

The archetypal circular of the 2022 Masters is 107 days away, and Woods said helium ne'er took a time disconnected during rehab. So who knows? But walking is simply a large portion of playing, and Woods was successful cart astatine the PNC Championship. Augusta National is the prettiest plot and the toughest walk.

Ian Poulter was contemplating this portion watching Woods play connected Saturday. Up the steep elevation connected No. 1, down the elevation connected No. 2, up the elevation connected No. 3, down and past up connected No. 4. On and connected helium went until it was suggested the par-3 12th implicit Rae's Creek was a reasonably casual walk.

"You bash person the bridge," Poulter said, grinning due to the fact that the constituent had been made.

Southern Hills, the tract of the 2022 PGA Championship, is simply a reasonably casual walk, erstwhile players get down the monolithic slope from the archetypal tee, meaning they yet person to spell backmost up.

The steepest ascent astatine St. Andrews, which is holding the 2022 British Open, is getting retired of the cookware bunkers (Woods didn't deed into immoderate of them erstwhile helium won by 8 shots arsenic a 24-year-old successful 2000).

About each Woods knows concerning his aboriginal is that helium won't beryllium playing a afloat docket ever again. He volition person to prime the spots. "And adjacent then," helium said, "my assemblage mightiness not cooperate."

Justin Thomas sees much of him than immoderate different player, and helium was alongside for the opening circular erstwhile Woods stuffed a towering 4-iron from 220 yards to 8 feet, and erstwhile Woods outdrove the 28-year-old connected the 11th hole.

"In presumption of hitting shots and each that stuff, he's not that acold away," Thomas said. "But successful presumption of being capable to vie and locomotion 72 holes aggregate weeks successful a row? Yeah, that's a antithetic story. And he's the lone 1 that tin reply that."

One reply could beryllium recovered successful his casual grin erstwhile it was over. Woods doesn't grin often erstwhile helium finishes second. But this was simply astir playing with his son. He was blessed with that.

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