Trevino hoping Tiger makes a great return

SIX-TIME Major winning Lee Trevino declared he ‘prays to God’ and ‘hopes like hell’ Tiger Woods makes a successful return to competition at this week’s Farmers Insurance Open near San Diego in California.

It has been 12 months since Woods last competed on the PGA Tour and that was at the same event in 2017 and with Woods clearly not fully-fit in easily missing the halfway cut at the Torrey Pines course and where he has won seven times in his career with six of those being the Farmers Insurance title and also including the 2008 US Open crown.

However, after what seemed a highly-successful comeback to competition at last month’s Hero World Challenge in the Bahamas, Woods is returning to the Tour and confirming also he will compete in the Genesis Open in Los Angeles on Feb 15.

Trevino underwent a near similar spinal surgery as Woods but unlike the 14-time Major winning Woods who underwent ‘disc fusion’ surgery, the now 78-year old Trevino had ‘spacers’ inserted following an operation in 2004.

It prompted Trevino to be asked at last month’s Father-and-Son Challenge in Orlando whether Woods can bounce back to World No1 dominating best.

“Let me ask you this and that is can a guy in his 40s have that procedure like Tiger had and come back? I think it’s stupid because I don’t know anything about that,” said Trevino.

“But in saying that I do hope he comes back. I would love to see him come back but I have no way of knowing if Tiger Woods is going to be like Tiger Woods of before.

“Tiger Woods is going to be the only one to put the time back in and pray to God that he comes back and plays again on the Tour as I like watching his ‘stuff’.

“But I don’t know… there is very few people who come back from real back injuries. I came back from it because it was the senior tour and not the regular tour. I didn’t play 7,400-yard golf courses as we played bump-and-run stuff. You can play hurt that way.

“Tiger has got to hit the high ball. He has to hit the long ball. There is a lot of stuff he has to do and whether his back will hold up, I don’t know.

“Now, I haven’t heard anything about Tiger playing in the Bahamas. I heard that he swung pretty good but that is only one week.

“The other question is what happens to his back when you get the grind going and in other words when you have to hit a lot of practice balls on hilly golf courses, on sandy golf courses, playing from sidehill lies.

“But I hope like hell that he does come back so to answer your questions at 40-years old can a guy come back then I have no clue. I can’t have a clue.” – Express Newspapers