Tiger Woods targets majors in 2018

Just a few months ago, Tiger Woods wasn’t sure if he’d ever play competitive golf again, but after a promising return to action he is already plotting an assault on the majors in 2018.

Woods’ pain-free comeback at the Hero World Challenge prompted the sport’s biggest name to claim he is “excited” about the future.

Making his long-awaited return from a fourth back surgery – it was his first tournament for 301 days since pulling out the Dubai Desert Classic in February – Woods posted three sub-70 rounds at the Albany Club in the Bahamas to finish in a tie for ninth place in the 18-man field.

He may have finished 10 shots behind winner Rickie Fowler but Woods’ eight-under-par total was good enough to beat world No.1 Dustin Johnson, FedEx Cup winner and world No. 3 Justin Thomas and US Open champion Brooks Koepka.

Rickie Fowler (right) shot an 11-under-par final round of 61 to win the 2017 Hero World Challenge.

Major schedule

The performance lifted Woods from 1,199th to 668th in the world golf rankings, but more crucially, the 41-year-old was swinging freely with no sign of the back pain that has hampered him in recent years.

“I’m excited,” said Woods, who’s had eight long-term injury layoffs for various ailments since winning the last of his 14 majors at the 2008 US Open.

“My expectations are we’ll be playing next year. We’re going to figure out what’s the best way for me to build my schedule for the major championships.

“I don’t know what golf courses I’ll be playing and what’s the best way to go about it. We’ll sit down with the whole team and we’ll figure it out – where I’m going to start, how much I’m going to play, rest periods, training cycles, the whole nine yards.”

Tiger Woods plays an approach to the 18th green during the final round of the World Hero Challenge.

‘Frustrated’

Woods, who remains four majors behind Jack Nicklaus’ record of 18, had a vertebrae fusion in his lower back in April, and admitted before the Bahamas event that he had no idea how he was going to play.

But he twice tied for the lead Friday and wasn’t holding back, regularly outdriving his younger playing partners who have taken over the sport in his absence, including Thomas, who is one of the biggest hitters on the PGA Tour with an average of 309.7 yards last season.

“It’s nice to get back out there where I can take it over a couple of corners and extend one on the par 5s,” said Woods, who joked before the event that his two young children view him as a “YouTube golfer” because they never saw him in his pomp.

“I was a little frustrated with my iron game; that has been the hallmark of my career. It’s still surprising how far I’m hitting it, and I have to make those adjustments.

“You add in the adrenaline, and you’re thinking there is no way you hit it that way. Those are things I have to get a hold of. Overall I am very pleased.”

'And all I get asked about, is Tiger Woods' - PGA Tour player of the year Justin Thomas (left).

‘Same Tiger’

Although this was not a full-field event and it was played on a relatively easy course – there are five par 5s on the Albany track – there is a sense there is something different about this latest comeback by Woods, who has won 79 times on the PGA Tour.

With the exception of a rough patch during his third round on Saturday – he was four over for his front nine in windy conditions – he seemed in control of his game and showed signs of the old magic that made him into what many consider to be the greatest player of all time.

“If you’ve been asleep for the last eight years and you woke up and the last time you saw Tiger Woods play was in 2009 you’d think, ‘what’s the big deal? That’s exactly the same guy,’” said Golf Channel analyst Brandel Chamblee after round one.

“This is the best I’ve seen him swing since before all the injuries and before all that stuff that everybody would rather really not want to talk about.

“His ball speed on one shot was 178 mph, another shot was 180 that’s about a 96 mph fastball. That is big league stuff. The last time Tiger played, his clubhead speed was 114 mph. That basically translates to a 10, 12 mph difference in ball speed.

“This is Tiger Woods feeling good, swinging good.”

Woods surprised himself how far he was driving the ball in the Bahamas.

‘Reasons to be optimistic’

Chamblee’s bosses at the Golf Channel will no doubt be feeling good and hoping Woods can remain injury free, given that their viewing figures for day one of the tournament in the Bahamas were up 27% from last year.

They were the most-watched cable sports network in the U.S. when Woods teed off on Thursday afternoon.

Although the signs are good and Woods claims to be pain free, it could be too soon to say he really is “back”.

This time last year, after carding an impressive 24 birdies at the Hero, he said he felt good heading into the new season, but lasted only three more rounds, missing the cut in California before his back gave way in Dubai.

“It’s exciting, but you have to try and temper it a little bit,” said his caddie Joe LaCava.

“We felt the same way last year. Let’s not get too excited. But you have to like what you see, right? There are more reasons to be optimistic.”

Tiger Woods clinched his fifth Masters and 15th major title with victory at Augusta in April.

The former world No. 1 had not won the Masters since 2005, and it was his first major win since 2008.

A month after winning the Masters, Woods received the nation's highest civilian honor, the Presidential Medal of Freedom, from President Donald Trump.

Woods won the season-ending Tour Championship in September 2018. It was his first title in five years following a succession of back injuries.

Signs that Woods was back to his best were obvious at August's PGA Championship, where he finished runner-up to Brooks Koepka. It followed an impressive showing at July's British Open, where he briefly topped the leaderboard.

Woods made an impressive return to competitive golf in 2018 after multiple back surgeries in recent years. He played his first Masters in three years in April 2018.

The four-time champion had back fusion surgery -- his fourth procedure -- in April 2017 and returned to the game pain-free in December. He finished tied 32nd at Augusta.

Woods was touted as one of the favorites after impressing in his early-season events. He also set tongues wagging by playing a practice round with old rival Phil Mickelson, right.

Woods finished tied second at the Valspar Championship in March 2018 and followed it up with a tie for fifth at the Arnold Palmer Invitational at Bay Hill. The hype needle moved into overdrive.

Woods set out on his legendary path by becoming the youngest winner of the Masters -- at 21 -- with a record 12-shot win in 1997.

One of his most remarkable feats was winning his first US Open by an unprecedented 15 shots at Pebble Beach, California, in 2000, sparking a streak never seen before or since.

Woods' victory in the 2001 Masters meant he held all four of golf's major titles at the same time, dubbed the "Tiger Slam."

Woods' win rate, his dedication to fitness training and his desire to succeed were changing golf. Prize money rocketed because of Woods. Off the course, he married girlfriend Elin Nordegren in 2004.

Woods showed rare emotion when he broke down in tears on the shoulder of caddie Steve Williams following his win in the 2006 British Open at Hoylake, months after his father and mentor Earl passed away.

Despite being visibly hampered and in pain from a knee injury, Woods won the US Open in breathtaking fashion at Torrey Pines, California, in 2008. It was his 14th major title to leave him only four behind the record of Jack Nicklaus. He was later diagnosed with knee ligament damage and two fractures of his left tibia. He missed the rest of the season after surgery. It is still his last major title.

In December 2009, Woods crashed his car into a fire hydrant outside his home. As the big picture emerged it was discovered Woods had been conducting a series of extra martial affairs. He took three months away from the game to sort out his private life.

In February 2010 Woods addressed the world's media to explain and apologise for his actions. His infidelity led to divorce and was the beginning of a downhill slide in Woods' playing career. By October he lost the world No. 1 ranking, a position he had held for 281 consecutive weeks

Back in the fold, Woods earned his first win in two years at the Chevron World Challenge in December 2011, a charity tournament he hosts that does not count on the PGA Tour money list.

Woods was back in the winner's circle in 2013, lifting five titles, including the Arnold Palmer Invitational, to get back to the top of the rankings.

In March 2013, Woods and Lindsey Vonn announced they were dating on Facebook. In January that year, the champion skier had finalized her divorce from Thomas Vonn, after initializing proceedings in 2011. In May 2015, Woods and Vonn announced their breakup, with the golfer claiming he "hadn't slept" in the days following.

Later in 2013 there were signs all was not well as Woods was seen to be in pain as he picked the ball out of the hole at the Barclays tournament in August. He missed the Masters the following April for the first time since 1994 to undergo back surgery.

Woods pulled out of the Farmers Insurance Open in February 2015, and struggled with injury and form for the rest of the season.

Woods cut a dejected figure at that year's US Open as he struggled with his game and carded rounds of 80 and 76 to miss the cut.

In August 2015 Woods made his last appearance for 15 months to undergo follow-up back surgeries. At one stage during his rehabilitation, Woods spoke of there being "no light at the end of the tunnel" -- and with one eye on his fading career, he suggested "everything beyond this will be gravy."

Woods made a much-anticipated return to golf in December 2016, showing signs of promise with the highest number of birdies in the field -- 24 -- but he also made a number of costly errors to finish third from last in the 18-man event.

He missed the cut in his first event of 2017 in the US and pulled out after the first round of the Dubai Desert Classic in February, citing back spasms. He underwent a fourth back prodecure in April.

The golf legend was arrested Monday, May 29, on suspicion of driving under the influence. He was booked into a local jail in Florida and released a few hours later. He said in a statement he had "an unexpected reaction to prescribed medications."

In August Woods entered a first-offender program and pleaded guilty to reckless driving on October 28. He will avoid jail unless he commits major violations of his probation.

Woods returned to golf after 301 days at the Hero World Challenge in the Bahamas on November 30 2017. He carded a three-under first-round 69 and appeared pain-free and hungry to resume his career.

Tiger Woods: From highs to lows

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The buzz generated by Woods overshadowed Fowler’s victory Sunday. He shot a closing 11-under 61 – the lowest of his professional career – to clinch victory by four shots from fellow American Charley Hoffman.

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“I wanted to make sure I got out in front of [Woods],” Fowler said as he collected the Hero World Challenge “Tiger trophy.”

“Because I know this isn’t the last we’ll see of him.”