‘I could not even get out of bed...’
Lewis party piece
PHIL TAYLOR will have to overcome the man nicknamed ‘Hollywood’ if he is to lift the Oscar of the darts world one last time.
The Power has been drawn against Bedlington’s Chris Dobey in the first round of the William Hill World Championship – his final tournament before retiring. Taylor, 57, the 16-time world champion and No6 seed, meets the world No38 who reached the last 32 last year.
Defending champion Michael van Gerwen will meet fellow Dutchman Christian Kist when the tournament starts on December 14. LEWIS HAMILTON says he will be back to his best in the first race of the new season after admitting too much partying contributed to his end-of-year wobble.
The 32-year-old Briton vowed to end the season in style after claiming his fourth world title with two races to spare.
But he was fourth in Brazil after crashing in qualifying and second to Mercedes team-mate Valtteri Bottas in Abu Dhabi on Sunday.
After Hamilton won the title in 2015, he lost the three remaining races to Nico Rosberg and the German carried the momentum into his title-winning year. But Hamilton said: “There is zero concern for me.
“After I won the title in Mexico I partied a lot. I still drove relatively well but would not say I was 100 per cent. My sleep and energy has been different. If you don’t prepare in the same way, you don’t get the right results. Next year it’ll go back to how it was in the second half of the season.” HAMILTON TIGER WOODS has revealed the back injury he suffered left him in so much pain he could not even go to the toilet by himself and had to roll over in bed to urinate in a bucket.
Woods, who returns to competition on Thursday in the Hero World Challenge here, played his first official practice round in 10 months yesterday.
He also said that having his two young children around him throughout his lay-off had kept him sane.
Woods, 41, had a fourth back surgery on April 19 and turned back the clock yesterday with an impressive display in practice, out-driving partner Patrick Reed by 30 yards at the first en route to the first of four birdies over his nine holes.
But it has taken many months of agony for Woods to reach this point. He said: “Many may forget that I spent much of this year in bed. I couldn’t even get out of bed to go to the toilet.
“Often I needed help just to get out of bed. Often, I would have to roll myself out of bed and go in a bucket because I physically could not do something as basic as go to the toilet by myself.
“The thing is pain is so personal and no one knows the pain I endured. We know what nerve pain can be like and no one can go through it with you. No one could understand the pain I was going through.
“I was just using drugs on top of drugs trying to kill the nerve pain. It was like something hitting your body about 200 times a day. And the thing is that I didn’t know when it was coming. “But now that I
am fully healthy again there is no way I cannot stay healthy. I can’t see any reason why not and, while I’m pleased with how I’m hitting the ball, it is still just small steps for me at the moment.”
At the 18th, Woods outdrove Hazeltine Ryder Cup-winning Reed by 60 yards, showing no signs of any back concern by going 100 per cent in every shot and not flinching, even in picking up a tee. Woods said the only medicine he is currently taking are antiinflamatories.
The upside of Woods being sidelined for so long is that he was able to spend more time with his two children, Sam and Charlie.
“Having them around the house kept me sane,” he said. “Charlie’s right into soccer. He just loves the game.
“His favourite player is Lionel Messi. We met him some time back and Charlie gets about the house wearing a Messi Barcelona top – he lives in it.”
Reed, who last fortnight had led the opening round of the European Tour season-ending DP World Tour Championship, is just pleased to see Woods competing again.
“I want to see again the Tiger Woods from 1999 to 2001 and I want to play alongside the best golfer ever to live on this planet,” said Reed.
“Tiger looked this morning he was playing pain-free and down the last he out-drove me by 60 yards. He out-drove me every hole of the nine.
“The last was the first one he embarrassed me on but then I would not expect him to come back if he could not give 100 per cent and unless his golf game was ready.
“I was very impressed with him being able to hit the golf shots he wanted, including being able to use his drive to draw and fade the ball.
“It was good to see him able to hit all the shots and not once flinch or pick his tee up gingerly and also to just walk at his normal pace with a real spring in his step.”