Tiger Woods is making another comeback.
Woods will compete at his own tournament this week, the Hero World Challenge. The Hero invites 20 of the world's best players to the Bahamas for a no-cut event that still offers Official World Golf Ranking points.
The 15-time major winner decided to make his return after undergoing fusion ankle surgery this week after caddying for his son, Charlie, at a junior golf tournament. He knew he was healthy enough to be able to walk 72 holes.
"I will tell you this though, I have none of the pain that I had at Augusta," Woods said, referring to the 2023 Masters where he was forced to withdraw. "The surgery was a success."
Woods believes he is healthy enough to compete. And he has always said he only wants to compete if he feels he can win.
"What drives me is that I love to compete," Woods said during his Tuesday press conference. "There will come a point in time, I haven't come around to it fully yet, that I won't be able to win again. When that point comes I'll walk."
And then he was asked if he could still win. Before the reporter could finish his sentence, Woods responded, "Absolutely."
Woods is the biggest underdog to win The Hero at 66-1 odds.
"My game feels rusty," Woods said. "I haven't played in a while … I'm just as curious as you are to see how I play."
But the outlook for the future looks more promising than before his car crash in 2020. Woods said that he hopes to play in a tournament every month this season. Which is a far cry from what he had said prior to the ankle surgery, where he referenced playing in four to five events per season.
"I think the best scenario would be maybe a tournament a month," Woods said. "I think that's realistic … Now, I need to get myself ready for all of that. And this week is a big step in that direction."
Since Nov. 7 (before he announced a comeback), Woods has gone from +11000 to +7500 at FanDuel to win The Masters. He's already down to +6600 at BetMGM to win The Masters.
This week will be significant for determining where Woods' game is at. He has said over the last few years that his golf swing hasn't been the issue, it has been his ability to withstand the walking.
If Woods looks healthy and is able to compete with the top players at the PGA Tour, Tiger-mania could ramp up once again.
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