Tiger and Rory shaking off cobwebs

AFTER all the excitement of the Masters, the last three weeks have felt more like a full-on snooze for golf rather than a lull.

That should all change in North Carolina from Thursday, when Tiger Woods and Rory McIlroy return to action alongside the man in the green jacket, Patrick Reed, at the Wells Fargo Championship at Quail Hollow in a high-grade tune-up for the Players Championship at Sawgrass next week.

For Rory — who turns 29 on Friday — after all the disappointment of that shocking final round at Augusta, where better to begin his recovery than the scene of his first PGA Tour victory in 2010 at the tender age of 21, and another triumph in 2015.

As for Tiger, we’ve had the joy of seeing him play again and then the fact he can clearly compete once more. But where will he achieve what would be his 80th PGA Tour victory and, following the misery of four rapid-fire back surgeries, surely the most meaningful after his 14 majors?

Yes, it’s safe to say we’re about to receive a raucous wake-up call.