Tiger Woods Delighted by his Body's Remarkable Response in his Return to Competitive Golf
Tiger Woods, back in action after ankle surgery, expresses delight at his body's response during the Hero World Challenge Recovering well, he is pleasantly surprised by his physical progress after each round
After undergoing ankle surgery, Tiger Woods competed in his first tournament and expressed being pleasantly surprised by his physical recovery after each round at the Hero World Challenge this week. The 15-time major winner performed well, posting a one-under 71 in the third round on Saturday in Albany, the Bahamas, leading him to level-par overall and tying for 16th place.
On December 01, 2023 in Nassau, Bahamas, Tiger Woods of the United States was captured playing his shot from the 13th tee during the second round of the Hero World Challenge at Albany Golf Course. (Photo by Mike Ehrmann/Getty Images)
Mike Ehrmann/Getty Images
Tiger Woods improves on day two of his long-awaited return to golf
Prior to this week, Woods had not participated in any competitions since pulling out of the Masters in April due to an injury that necessitated surgery. As a result, there has been significant interest in observing the American's performance over four rounds.
After completing his third round, Woods spoke to the PGA Tour and commented, "I could have performed better than my score suggests. I had the potential to shoot something in the high 60s today, which would have been satisfying."
"I still have the ability to play, it's just a matter of whether my body can keep up.
"I'm pleased with how well I've been recovering each day. As I mentioned, my ankle is doing fine. I'm a little sore in other areas, but that's manageable."
"He added that he is thrilled with how the weeks unfolded," according to the PGA Tour. Woods had ankle surgery due to "constant" pain during the Masters at Augusta National, which was only his second competitive appearance in 2023.
The ex-top-ranked player has faced numerous physical challenges in the past few years, particularly enduring serious leg injuries from a car accident two years ago. In a recent press conference, he stated that participating in one tournament per month would be the most feasible goal for 2024.
In his third round, Woods scored five birdies and four bogeys, finishing one-over-par on the final nine, showing improvement from the previous two rounds where he struggled on the back nine. Woods is currently 16 shots behind the leader Scottie Scheffler, who holds the top spot going into the final day after posting a seven-under 65 on Saturday. Matt Fitzpatrick of England is three shots behind, holding second place.
