PGA gets a boost with Tiger's return

Tiger Woods watches his tee shot on the sixth hole during the Pro-Am at the Quicken Loans National golf tournament, Wednesday, June 25, 2014, in Bethesda, Md.

Tiger Woods watches his tee shot on the sixth hole during the Pro-Am at the Quicken Loans National golf tournament, Wednesday, June 25, 2014, in Bethesda, Md.

Thursday, June 26, 2014

BETHESDA, Md. -- Nobody has fielded more questions about Tiger Woods over his career than Ernie Els, at times to the point that it exasperates him.

Wednesday wasn't one of those days.

Els hit his tee shot to start his pro-am round at the Quicken Loans National, and without prompting said, "It's good to have him back, man."

This from a guy who has finished runner-up to Woods more often than any other player, including three consecutive tournaments they played in 2000 by a combined 28 shots.

Then again, the Big Easy has known Woods longer than any other player. They were together in the clubhouse at Royal Lytham & St. Annes in 1996 when Woods sought his advice on whether to turn pro. Els understands what he brings to the game.

"This will get interesting now," Els said. "He's got records he's chasing. I saw him from a distance and his swing looks good. I wish I were playing with him so I can see where he is."

That's a question that won't be answered until today, when Woods returns after a three-month hiatus from back pain and caused him to have surgery March 31. His opening round at Congressional will be his first competition in 109 days, and Woods really hasn't been competitive this year in the four tournaments he played.

He started Wednesday with a pro-am round that was not inspiring except that he showed no indication of pain or any other physical setback. He started by hitting a tee shot on the par-3 10th hole off the bank and into the water. His drive off the 11th hole went right into the hazard.

But it was just a pro-am round, which doesn't mean much.

"I hit some loose shots today, but I also hit some really good ones," Woods said. "Back feels great, which is a really good sign."

Beyond the shots, the return of Woods was noticeable by the energy at the tournament. Ticket sales more than doubled Friday when Woods announced he was ready to return to competition, particularly at a tournament that benefits his foundation. There were more fans for a Wednesday, more cameras, more interest and more speculation.

"He's the most impactful player that's in the sport and has been for a long time," PGA Tour Commissioner Tim Finchem said. "It gets people refocused on his career and his drive. Short-term benefits are that it sells more tickets, but that's not really important. It's just having him in the sport.

"He's always been a positive influence and he'll always be as long as he's playing."

The 120-man field is stronger than in recent years, and not just because Woods is back.

Jordan Spieth finished sixth last year when he wasn't even a PGA Tour member. Now he's No. 9 in the field, among five players from the top 10 at Congressional. He is joined by Jason Day, Justin Rose, Keegan Bradley and Els, who is playing Congressional for the second time since winning the '97 U.S. Open here.

All of it makes Els more curious than ever about Woods.

"It's going to be an exciting time for himself and for the fans to see what he can do," Els said. "Then we've got some great young players coming through, winning big events now ... guys who have won major championships and are really exciting players. You've got a guy that's reaching almost 40 who is ... the best player of his generation, trying to become the best player of all time. So it's really exciting times."

Sports on 06/26/2014