When video emerged last week of Tiger Woods caddying for son Charlie and walking without a limp, coupled with Stewart Cink’s revelations that Woods was in “go mode,” the old Tiger-mania kicked into gear on social media with wide speculation that his return to competitive golf was imminent and that we’d see him tee it up at the Hero World Challenge where he plays host in the Bahamas.
With one spot being held for a ‘TBA’ competitor in Albany, hope remains that that may yet happen, but Tiger himself has poured cold water on speculation that he is pain-free for the first time in a long time.
“My ankle is fine. Where they fused my ankle, I have absolutely zero issue whatsoever,” Woods told the Associated Press on Tuesday. “That pain is completely gone.
“… But all the surrounding areas is where I had all my problems and I still do,” he said. “So, you fix one, others have to become more hypermobile to get around it, and it can lead to some issues.”
What those issues are is anybody’s guess, and the man himself didn’t elaborate any further, but signs have been encouraging that a return isn’t far away, potentially before the end of the year. Several factors point to this, most notably the fact that he caddied for four straight days for Charlie, walking 72 holes with a bag on his shoulder, even if it took its toll in the days following.
“I’m pretty sore after caddying for four days,” Woods told the AP. “It was a flat course, thank God.”
If he’s not ready to return the Hero World Challenge alongside the likes of Scottie Scheffler, Justin Thomas, Shane Lowry and a host of the other top stars of the game, the PNC Challenge (Dec. 14-17) seems a likely bet given son Charlie’s likely desire to play and their past impressive showings together, including a second-placed finish in 2021 and a seventh-place finish in 2020 when Charlie was just 11.
The fact that Tiger can use a cart in the PNC Championship eases the stress of walking 18 holes and, at this stage, a non-appearance there would come as a surprise and prove a serious setback for hopes that he may return to selective PGA Tour and Major Championship action in 2024.
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