the most birdies of anybody in
the field, but tellingly also made
the most double-bogeys. On a
positive note, he seemed to be
swinging with a freedom that
belied his three back surgeries.
However, his swing was stiff
when he showed up at Torrey
Pines a month later and it was
rigid by the time he got to Dubai, where
he withdrew after an opening round 77.
In April, a few days after attending the
Masters Champions Dinner, Woods had
fusion surgery on his lower spine. He
hasn’t played competitive golf since.
GROUNDHOG DAY
In the early hours of the morning on
end?
Memorial Day in late May, a State
Trooper found Woods’ luxury Mercedes
at the side of a highway just a few miles
from his Florida home. The engine
was running and an indicator was
flashing, but Woods was asleep behind
the wheel. When he failed a sobriety
test, Woods was arrested and booked
for driving under influence. To make
matters worse, the police released his
unflattering mugshot and a video of his
arrest to the media who broadcast it to
the world. Later, Woods said he’d had
“an unexpected reaction to prescription
medication.” The police confirmed he
had not been drinking.
So where does this leave a 42-year-
old Tiger Woods as he plans his return
to the PGA Tour? The good news is that
several other players who underwent
similar surgeries, including Lee Trevino
and Retief Goosen, successfully
resumed their careers. The bad news
is that, in terms of winning majors and
catching Jack, the odds are stacked
massively against Woods. Only one
golfer since the turn of the 20th century
- Julius Boros – has won more than
one major past the age of 42.
Also working against Woods is
the excessive wear-and-tear his body
has been subjected to over the years
and the fact that he is physically and
mentally ‘golf old’, having played
competitively at an intense level from
such a young age. With this in mind,
massive question marks remains as to
whether Woods can, like Jack Nicklaus
and Tom Watson before him, adapt
his technique to match the inevitable
limitations of his body, and assuming
he can, will his ‘new’ game will be
good enough to give the modern breed
of power-hitting Tour Pros a run for
their money.
Regardless of whether Woods goes
on to win more majors or quietly fades
away, the one thing we want is for him
to finish on his own terms. After all he
been through the past nine years, he at
least deserves that.
© ROLEX THOMAS LAISNE
54 GOLF ASIA
GOLFING
PROFILE