Woods admits to ‘winging it’ ahead of comeback in Bahamas.

Golf: Tiger admits to ‘winging it’ ahead of comeback in Bahamas this week

Tiger Woods admits he is “winging it” ahead of his latest comeback, but still harbours ambitions to remind his kids and a new generation of rivals that he is more than “the YouTube golfer”.

Woods has started just three events since August 2015 and withdrew from his most recent tournament in February in Dubai after an opening 77.

The 14-time major winner had spinal fusion surgery in April, his fourth back operation in three years, but will return to action in this week’s Hero World Challenge in the Bahamas.

“This surgery was about quality of life because I didn’t really have much,” Woods told a pre-tournament press conference ahead of the 10th comeback after an absence of 10 weeks or more in his career.

“I’ve been in bed for about two years and haven’t been able to do much.

“The neatest thing for me is to be able to get out of bed and I can grab a club and not use it as a crutch.

“This is very different because last year I was still struggling with the pain. I was able to hit some good shots but, looking back on it, I look like I was playing in slo-mo.

“I didn’t realise how bad my back had become because it’s been a slow degrading process.

“I’m winging this because I don’t know what my body can and can’t do yet. I don’t have any pain any more in my back but I do have some stiffness. Like ‘D’uh’, it’s fused. So just give me a little bit of time.

“I was talking to my surgeon (about) how long will this fused back hold up, but he said ‘You’ll be fine for the rest of your life. It’s bone and bone, you’re fine’.

He added: “There’s still some apprehension going forward, no doubt. “This week is a big step for me.” Former world number one Woods is ranked 1,199th and is a 40-1 outsider in the 18-man field, which features several players who grew up as his fans.

The likes of US PGA champion Justin Thomas, who will partner Woods in Thursday’s first round, only turned professional in 2013, the year of Woods’ last tournament win.

Woods wants his children Charlie and Sam to see first-hand how good he is, especially after Sam’s comment earlier this year when being introduced to Lionel Messi.

“I said, ‘Ain’t it neat to meet a living legend’ and she said, ‘Yeah we live with one’,” Woods recalled.

“I never thought my kids understood what I’d been able to do in the game of golf because they always think I’m the YouTube golfer. “They’ve never seen me in action. “Charlie was there at Akron when I won last time, but he doesn’t really remember it.

“I want them to see what I’ve been able to do my entire career.”

Picture: Getty. Tiger Woods withdrew from his most recent tournament, in February in Dubai, after an opening 77. He said playing in this week’s Hero World Challenge in the Bahamas is a “big step”.