Tiger eschews new, pre-major normal ahead of the third start in his comeback story
Tiger eschews new, pre-major normal ahead of the third start in his comeback story. Tiger Woods is getting in his steps ahead of the 150th Open at ST. Andrews, Scotland.
At about 7 p.m. local time on the 9th of July 2022, Tiger Woods and Justin Thomas headed out onto the Old Course with just a couple of clubs. Their mere presence transformed a tranquil evening into an event with spectators on the eve of the historic Open.
The 15-time major champion made his triumphant return to the home of golf at the age of 46 for the final time as a non-ceremonial golfer. Tiger Woods walked all 18 holes, trying to put shots around the green to get a feel for the already baked turf.
“It was so sick, man,” Thomas said a day later. “It was really cool. I don’t know why either of us had thoughts that it’d be any less crowded than that,”
The duo returned to the first tee about 10 hours later with their full sets.
Throughout the morning Woods and Thomas went on with their course, but on tees and around the greens they exchanged tidbits of strategy.
Woods is a two-time winner at the Old Course but he had played there under such physical distress. In 2015, he missed the cut while playing with back-related issues. Though the extent of his injuries was not fully known at the time, a few months later he underwent a second microdiscectomy, and then he had a spinal fusion in 2017.
Now three starts into his final chapter, judging the physical conditioning of Woods remains an exercise in lowered expectations. He is still found walking with a pronounced limp and sometimes is seen using his club as a crutch.
But these limitations did not pill him back from performing. He gutted out and made cuts at both the Masters and PGA Championships. But for the first time in his professional career, he was not able to finish a major as he opted to pull out of the PGA after 54 holes due to issues with his right leg.
Woods did not shy away from acknowledging that he was not physically fit to compete in the U.S. Open. Only a few weeks ago, he began ramping up his preparation for St. Andrews, his target goal all year.
Woods used a cart for the JP McManus Pro-Am, carding rounds of 77-74 to finish 39th out of a field of 50 pros. He then played a practice round with McIlroy at Ballybunion. Other than that he just rested, recovered, and practiced to perform on the Old Course.
“I don’t know when they are ever going to go back while I’m still able to play at a high level,” he said last week, “and I want to be able to give it at least one more run at a high level.”
And that is the reason why Woods has eschewed his new, pre-major normal. At the year’s first two majors, he played only nine holes a day, to preserve his brittle body for the opening bell. Sunday’s five-hour spin was the first time this year that he registered himself up for an 18-hole practice round, and for five hours on a warm Scottish summer day.
Woods hit a few spinny drives that unfortunately got hammered by the breeze and got kicked into the right rough. Frustrated with the flight of the ball, he adjusted his driver head on the ninth hole in the hope to hit a holding draw. He borrowed a launch monitor from Thomas and quantified the difference to have better control throughout the remainder of the round.
With the wind coming out of the south-southwest, the back nine played downwind mostly and Woods chose iron for the position. But he split the fairway on the 17th tee. On the home hole, Woods belted a drive that chased onto the green, about 25 feet away. He left the eagle putt short, with 36 holes in less than 19 hours.