Tiger finally back on the prowl
next time doesn’t seem all that far away — not with Bay Hill this week and the Masters a few weeks down the road.
It was the second time Casey won a tournament with Woods in the field. The other occasion was in 2006 at the HSBC World Match Play at Wentworth. Woods had been eliminated at the start of the week.
Woods signed for his 70 and worked his way through the crowd of camera crews and officials to seek out Casey.
“It’s the only time he’s congratulated me immediately after a victory,” Casey said. “Normally, it’s the other way around. That’s something special. Just really cool. I’m sure he was disappointed he didn’t get the victory.
“I actually thought he was going to win today before the round started. I thought it was just teed up beautifully for him. I said a couple times, ‘If I don’t win this thing, I actually want Tiger to win it.’ “I’m glad it’s this way.” Casey, a 40-year-old from England, is among the players from the previous generation who want to see Woods at his best again. Interest spikes, as record crowds and a big boost in TV ratings indicated.
They remember the dominance. The young kids don’t.
“I just want the young guys to see what we saw for such a long time,” Casey said.
There might be a chance, which is remarkable considering the most recent timeline. Woods won by seven shots at Firestone in the Bridgestone Invitational in early August 2013 for his 79th career victory on the PGA Tour and still his last one.
Back problems first began to surface a week later. The following year, he missed the Masters after back surgery and returned too soon on a couple of occasions.
Another back surgery followed in September 2015, then another a month later. He returned after 15 months and lasted two starts before he had fusion surgery.
Woods still didn’t know what his future held at the Presidents Cup last October. Then, on Oct 7, he posted a video of him hitting an iron. Eight days later, another video showed him hitting a driver. Eight days after that, he was hitting a stinger.
What really gets attention are the results. He still hasn’t won. But by all accounts, he’s getting closer.