5 reasons Tiger Woods' comeback will be a disaster
GAINESVILLE, VA – JULY 30: Tiger Woods reacts after missing a putt on the 17th hole during the first round of the Quicken Loans National at the Robert Trent Jones Golf Club on July 30, 2015 in Gainesville, Virginia. (Photo by G Fiume/Getty Images)
Tiger Woods will return to the PGA Tour in October but the 14-time major champion’s return to golf is going to be a complete disaster.
Tiger Woods is set to make his return to the PGA Tour this October after 14 months on the shelf and it’s not going to go well. Tiger, who had multiple back surgeries in the fall of 2015, is set to play in three tournaments, the first in Napa at the Safeway Open.
After missing significant time due to his back injuries and his life still in disarray, his comeback should be a train wreck worth watching. Tiger has been in a free fall since the incident at his home where his then wife struck him with a golf club and he wrecked his SUV. We all remember the media circus that followed his life and subsequently stifled his career.
If Tiger is serious about his return to the PGA, he has quite the uphill climb ahead of him. He has missed almost 14 months of golf, had two back surgeries, a very public breakup with Olympic skier Lindsey Vonn and now he has to play against the new young guns of the PGA Tour. Tiger isn’t the top dog anymore and the power and accuracy he played with is all but gone. Here are five reasons why Tiger’s comeback is going to be a disaster.
5. Injuries
Tiger has run the gambit of serious injuries in his golfing career. The latest back surgeries may be the most debilitating, but his long line of injuries has taken a toll on his performance. In 2002 Tiger had his first knee injury when he had to have fluid drained from his left ACL area.
The knee was a nagging issue that resurfaced in 2008 when he had two separate left knee surgeries. Tiger missed nine months of PGA action and when he returned he was visibly a different player. Gone were his monster drives and confidence that defined his career
Woods’ nagging issues continue in 2010 when he complains of a bulging disc and neck pain during the Players’ Championship. He would withdraw early from that tournament again the next year citing knee and achilles pain. His left leg problems persist well into 2012, making him miss three months of the PGA Tour.
In 2013 Tiger announced he would miss the AT&T National because of a left elbow strain. His body was clearly not holding up to the rigors of a full PGA tour and now his back began to give out.
Anyone who understands golf realizes that you can’t play with a bad back and Tiger found that out firsthand at the Barclays in 2013. The core is so essential to a player’s swing and Tiger’s was failing him.
In 2014 Tiger missed his first Masters of his professional career because of a pinched nerve in his back. At the Farmer’s Insurance Open in February of 2015, Tiger bowed out complaining of back issues stemming from his “glutes not activating.” The funniest explanation of a back injury I’ve ever heard. This was followed by two back surgeries in 2015 and a second missed Masters in three years.
Honestly his body seems to be his downfall and I’m not sure if he can ever come back to his championship form. Only time will tell and it’s become obvious that time is not on his side.
SAN DIEGO – JUNE 16: Tiger Woods reacts by falling to his knees despite his knee injury after missing his birdie putt on the 19th hole of the playoff during the playoff round of the 108th U.S. Open at the Torrey Pines Golf Course (South Course) on June 16, 2008 in San Diego, California. (Photo by Doug Pensinger/Getty Images)
4. Was gone for too long
Tiger is rusty and its obvious is you just watch him play one hole. Woods hasn’t been himself on the course in many years and recently he hasn’t shown us anything special. In his last 18 starts over the past two years, Tiger has only one top 10 finish. This is the former greatest player in the world and he’s missed 7 of his last 18 cuts.
His drive is off, his short game is a mess and his putting is frustrating. Watching this rendition of Tiger Woods is depressing and it isn’t doing anything for his legacy. Many golf experts believe Tiger may win another master but his game is nowhere near championship level.
Tiger is currently ranked 178th in the world and has only played in 18 tournaments over the past two years. I need to see more than glimpses of the old Sunday redshirted Tiger before I get excited about another Tiger return. He’s missed far too much time to keep his skills sharp.
Copies of Us Weekly magazine featuring the story on Tiger Woods and the interview with alleged mistress Jaimee Grubbs are seen for sale on the newstands in Beverly Hills on December 2, 2009. Tiger Woods apologized for ‘transgressions’ in his family life as the magazine posted what it said was evidence of an extramarital affair between the golf superstar and a cocktail waitress. It came hours after the celebrity magazine Us Weekly posted an online recording of what it said was Woods begging Los Angeles waitress Jaimee Grubbs to change her voicemail to hide their affair from his wife Erin. AFP PHOTO/Mark RALSTON (Photo credit should read MARK RALSTON/AFP/Getty Images)
3. Sex Addiction
We all know far too much about Tiger’s sex life and sexual addictions. It became public knowledge back on Thanksgiving of 2009 when Woods and then-wife Elin Nordegren had their famous dispute. Nordegren attacked Woods with a golf club causing him to wreck his SUV into a neighbor’s tree. She was outraged when she found out that Woods had cheated on her with multiple mistresses.
In the coming months we learned all about Wood’s sexual exploits and deviances. Dozens of mistresses came forward detailing their relationships with the PGA star. Tiger finally admitted that he was a sex addict and searched out help in the form of rehab and counseling.
Years have passed since the Thanksgiving incident but Tiger’s sexual addictions continue to cause him troubles. He recently broke up with his girlfriend of three years Olympic skier Lindsey Vonn amid rumors of infidelity. It’s obvious that golf is a mental game as well as physical and right now Tiger’s head is pre occupied, if you know what I mean.
Aug 15, 2015; Sheboygan, WI, USA; Tiger Woods (left) shakes hands with Keegan Bradley after completing the 18th hole during the continuation of the second round of the 2015 PGA Championship golf tournament at Whistling Straits. Mandatory Credit: Brian Spurlock-USA TODAY Sports
2. Age
Tiger is 40 years old and well past his prime playing days. He is still chasing the legend Jack Nicklaus’ 18 major victories. Tiger has 14 majors under his belt but hasn’t won one since 2008. The years aren’t being kind to old Tiger as his recent string of injuries shows.
There is a seniors division for a reason; those old guys just can’t keep up with these young stallions. Sure Nicklaus and Phil Mickelson have both won majors over 40 but that doesn’t mean Tiger will.
The average age of a PGA player in 2016 is 35 years old; Tiger is on the bad side of that equation. He is 40, coming off two major back surgeries and hasn’t played golf competitively since the fall of 2015, I’m sorry but Tiger is not ever going to be the same.
Sep 9, 2016; Carmel, IN, USA; Rory McIlory and Jordan Spieth talk on the 15th green during the continuation of the first round of the BMW Championship at Crooked Stick GC. Mandatory Credit: Brian Spurlock-USA TODAY Sports
1. Quality of Competition
Tiger Woods made golf an international hit and by doing so created his competition. When Tiger was destroying the world back in the early 2000’s, he was such a spectacle that golf suddenly became cool. Before it was a rich person’s game, played at the country club, but Tiger’s success made golf accessible to the world. Finally, top-tier athletes were choosing to play golf and that’s why he is no longer the greatest player in the world.
Tiger’s play was defined by long accurate drives, incredible short game and a fierce competitiveness that couldn’t be matched. He was the best athlete on the course, plan and simple. That was the young Tiger Woods, before all the injuries and sex addictions took over.
The current crop of young talent in the PGA is phenomenal and they all owe something to Tiger. He inspired a generation of athletes to pick up the game of golf and now these players have matured into top-notch competition. He can’t outplay his opposition anymore and his mental game is shaky as well.
Tiger plans to make his return this October at the Safeway Open in Napa, CA and I can’t wait for it to be a disaster. If I were a betting man, I’d put my money on him not making the cut. I will definitely tune in to see the horror and see if my prediction was correct.
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