Commentary

Dreaming of a comeback by No. 898

Sixteen years ago, I was one of a handful of people on the range at Pebble Beach to watch Tiger Woods warm up before the final round of the U.S. Open. It was, and remains, one of the most impressive displays of ball-striking I've ever seen.

At the end of the session, Woods hit about a dozen stinger 4-irons. Every shot traced the exact same parabola through the sky, the balls drawing gently to the left and landing within feet of each other some 225 yards away.

Woods took a 10-shot lead over Ernie Els into the final round that day and I distinctly remember someone -- obviously a neophyte to the sport -- asking me if I thought he would hold on. It might have been the dumbest question ever.

He won by 15 in what was perhaps the greatest 72-hole performance in major championship history.

Safe to say we'll never see that Tiger Woods again.

Four weeks before his 41st birthday, Woods returns to competitive golf today at the Hero World Challenge, a low-key, no-cut, 18-player event in the Bahamas. He goes in ranked 898th in the world, having not played a single tournament round in nearly 16 months.

A little more than a year ago, after undergoing a second microdiscectomy and a follow-up procedure to alleviate back pain, Woods needed assistance just getting out of bed. The 14-time major champion admitted he considered retirement.

But now, seven weeks after committing to and withdrawing from the Safeway Classic and describing his game as "vulnerable" -- a shocking admission from the prideful Woods -- he says he again can hit all the shots and is carrying his driver more than 300 yards in the air.

A couple weeks ago, he reportedly shot a 63 at Seminole, a notoriously difficult Florida course. Jesper Parnevik, who has played casual rounds with Woods recently, said the former world No. 1 was "flushing everything" and predicted Woods' comeback "might be spectacular."

Call me naive, but I believe it. I don't think Woods will win this week, and maybe not for some time. But would it be surprising to see him win on the PGA Tour in 2017? No, because he's done it dozens of times and if he's healthy there's no reason he can't do it again.

A lot will depend on how quickly he gets dialed in to new clubs, since Nike has dropped out of the equipment manufacturing business. This week, he'll reportedly use TaylorMade woods, his old Nike irons and wedges and Scotty Cameron putter, and a Bridgestone ball.

The landscape has changed since Woods was golf's dominant player. Now, he'll have to beat Jason Day, Jordan Spieth, Rory McIlroy and others who grew up idolizing him. Woods on his best day was better than all of them, but how many best days does he have left? Enough to win another major or two?

He has been optimistic, even bold, in recent interviews. In his pre-tournament news conference Tuesday, he said that one of his biggest challenges would be managing surges of adrenaline as he returns to competition.

"As far as concerns besides that, no," he said.

Woods also said he wanted to play a 20-tournament schedule for the next decade, until he's eligible for the PGA Champions Tour.

The game should be so lucky. Woods' return, whether for the short term or the long haul, is good for golf. The proof is in the television ratings, the worldwide interest he generates and the tens of millions of sponsorship dollars he has brought to the PGA Tour.

I can't help fantasizing about Woods playing himself into contention at the Masters and having to fend off Day, Spieth and McIlroy through Amen Corner and down the stretch on a sun-splashed Sunday afternoon.

First, however, he has to post a score at the Hero World Challenge. Hey, he's got to start somewhere.

Sports on 12/01/2016

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