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It’s back to work for eager Tiger Woods
World No1 plans to defend his title at the WGC-Accenture Match Play Championship following reconstructive knee surgery
It was the news all golf had eagerly awaited. Tiger Woods announced last night that he will make his comeback next week, when he defends his title at the WGC-Accenture Match Play Championship in Tucson, Arizona.
Woods has been out of the game for the best part of nine months after reconstructive knee surgery undertaken last June, two days after he had won the US Open Championship at Torrey Pines, virtually on one leg. It was his fourteenth major championship and arguably one of his greatest. It was certainly the most memorable.
There had been speculation that Woods was about to make his return to competitive action, particularly as he has a multimillion-dollar sponsorship deal with Accenture — the title sponsor of next week’s World Golf Championships event.
But as time wore on, it began to look increasingly likely that he would delay his comeback for another couple of weeks and return for the WGC CA Championship at the flat and relatively benign Blue Monster Course in Doral, Miami, where he has won many times in the past.
In a statement on his website, however, Woods said simply: “I’m now ready to play again.” In the past couple of weeks, the world No 1 has witnessed the birth of his second child and he now feels that the time is right to enter the competitive arena once more.
Tiger Woods - Photo by James Marvin Phelps
“Elin and our new son Charlie are doing great,” he said. “I’ve enjoyed my time at home with the family and appreciate everyone’s support and kind wishes.”
Now it’s back to work, after mixed messages in recent weeks. Mark O’Meara, his great friend, revealed at the Dubai Desert Classic that he had played several practice games with Woods and that he was looking as strong as ever. “He’s good to go,” the former Open champion said.
However, Steve Williams, Woods’s caddie, suggested only this week that his employer was probably another couple of weeks away from making his return. As it turns out, that was a mere smokescreen.
It would not be stretching a point to suggest that the sighs of relief emanating from the United States last night — and particularly from Tim Finchem, the commissioner of the PGA Tour — could be heard around the world. When Woods left the scene, the credit crunch had barely begun and the tour was in rude health.
In his absence, television ratings have fallen and sponsors, hit hard by the economic downturn, have started to question if they are getting value for money. Now, in one fell swoop, Woods’s return has once more raised the profile of the game. Everybody will want a piece of the action.
“We are delighted that Tiger is returning to competition and look forward to watching him compete next week,” Finchem said.
Some might question the wisdom of Woods choosing the match play event as his first tournament. If he is to defend his title successfully, he will need to play seven rounds of golf in five days, with 36 holes played on both the Saturday and Sunday. He would not have considered playing, however, if his left knee was not up to it.
As the No 1 seed, Woods will play the 64th-ranked player in the field, Brendan Jones, an Australian who is unlikely to have experienced anything like the circus awaiting him in the Arizona desert. One other player who will have heard the news with a mixture of excitement and trepidation is Rory McIlroy. The 19-year-old Northern Irishman is playing in his first WGC event and could meet Woods in the third round. He had lined up a practice round with Woods at Augusta in the week of the Masters, but has every chance of taking him on for real.
Woods’s victory at Torrey Pines — secured in a play-off over 19 holes against Rocco Mediate — was his tenth victory in 13 tournaments. He has managed to remain at the top of the world rankings throughout his layoff, although Sergio García has cut his lead to just over two points and could conceivably have usurped him in the next two weeks had Woods not returned. Let battle commence.
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