‘Have to learn body is a little different’
Managing the schedule properly, staying fit and picking right tournaments are key to doing well from now, says Woods
There is a sparkle in the eyes you can’t miss in Tiger Woods every time he is asked about his comeback or where he stands in his quest for Major No 15. “It was different same time last year. I just didn’t know if I would ever do this (play golf) again. But then to get to a point where I showed myself that I could win a tournament has been really rewarding. Now it’s about trying to get everything to peak together. That’s the trick,” Woods said in the buildup to the Hero World Challenge, and the determination in his eyes tells you he now believes.
It would not be unfair to call 2018 a year of comebacks. Woods did it after going under the knife four times for a back problem. Novak Djokovic came back to the top of world tennis. Kimi Raikkonen won the US Grand Prix. Dale Steyn, Meg Lanning, Lindsey Vonn, the list is pretty long. But for the man himself, Serena Williams is his inspiration.
“I have come to know these athletes over the years and I am particularly close to Serena. We meet all the time. A person like Serena, she had a choice. She didn’t have to put herself back out there. Having a child and all the difficulties to raise the child, trying to put her to sleep, feed her and also she is playing, the training routine that involves… I didn’t have to do any of that. The sacrifice it takes to put herself back out there again, it’s incredible. We didn’t have to do this, we could have walked into the sunset and let it just be,” said Woods, who himself made a jump from 1199 in the world rankings to 13th in the last 12 months.
“There’s a precedent for guys having a lot of success in their 40s (in golf) and I feel I now have a chance to do something in my 40s,” Woods said referring to the likes of Vijay Singh, who won his last Major, the PGA Championship, in 2004 at 41; Sam Snead, who won the Masters in 1954 at 42; and Ben Hogan who won the Masters, the US Open and the British Open in the same year in 1953 when he was 41. “These are inspirational. Now I’ve proven to myself that I can put myself in position, something that I’ve been away from the game for years. I know I can win now,” Woods, 42, added.
The key now, Woods says, is to stay fit, realise he is ‘old’, manage his schedule, pick and choose tournaments and go into the big events ‘well rested’. “There are some days where you just don’t feel very good. That’s part of the deal. Those are the days I just shut it down. I just don’t push through it. In the past, on my days I didn’t feel good, I would just go run five miles, make myself feel better. Well, that’s not happening anymore. I’ve got to learn that the body’s just a little different now,” he said.
“I don’t train anywhere near like I used to. I just physically can’t do it anymore. My training sessions have been good. I’ve been getting a little bit stronger. My core and my legs are definitely stronger than they have been, which is a positive. Now I can start working on my game heading into 2019,” Woods said, confirming he would play all the four Majors next year.
A person like Serena, she had a choice. She didn’t have to put herself back out there. TIGER WOODS, On Serena