Why ‘ Youtube golfer’ seeks rewind
TOUGH TASK Tiger Woods believes it will be hard to get back to the level that inspired a generation of players and fans
ALBANY, BAHAMAS: By his own admission, the return of Tiger Woods is the story of a ‘Youtube golfer’ seeking a second chance at the sport he was jaw-droppingly good at and at life away from using the golf club as a crutch.
Retirement isn’t on Woods’ mind now, rehabilitation is as he seeks to get a body he didn’t realise was giving up on him to do his bidding at the $3.5 million Hero World Challenge here. It is going to take some mental steel.
“I always thought that I was tough mentally. My dad thought so as well. Going through all this just reaffirmed that,” said Woods.
Will that help revive a career that has fetched 79 titles, only two less than the remaining 17 invited here? “I am just looking forward to getting through these four rounds,” he said, but couldn’t resist ending with “giving myself a chance on that back nine on Sunday to win this thing.”
Woods had said that earlier, while recovering he would “mentally” practice shots and scenarios. “Now, the focus is all on keeping golf balls on the course.”
They don’t yet include hitting out of the rough or big slices but he doesn’t need to do that on this course designed by Ernie Els.
All the time Woods, 42 next month, fulfilled media commitments, he looked relaxed. “I never had a problem with the hair getting in my eyes,” he said, as the wind did exactly that for many. “I don’t need a tan,” he said, talking about Bahamas. And it was he who gave currency to the phrase “Youtube golfer.”
“…They (his children) always think I am the Youtube golfer. They have never seen me in action. So most of the stuff they’ve watched has been on highlights packages…and then when I started coming back for this event, Sam (daughter) wanted to go out on the golf course with me. Charlie’s (son), the same thing, he wants to compete, he wants to play with me, those things are special,” he said. “I want them to have a better understanding of my career…i don’t know how long I am going to be playing.” That is motivation enough to stay healthy, he said.
In a field that has eight of the world’s top 10 the comeback man ranked 1199 is the cynosure. Anybody want to ask about my, Justin Thomas trailed off as questioners sought to know what it felt
like for the 24-year-old Fedex Cup and PGA Championship winner to be playing against Woods.
Thomas’ first recollection of Woods’ winning was in 2000. “We grew up in that era,” he said. The era of Woods and his 14 Majors.
That was before the neatest thing for Woods became getting out of bed and not grabbing a club as a crutch. In that time, the kids --- “when I turned pro, Jordan (Spieth) was in diapers, right?” --grew up, became friends but will be competitors this week.
It may not be easy to better the Youtube legend --- “I mean I was pretty good and they showed only my good shots” – but for the next four days Woods hopes he can make the field feel like “what some of my past guys had to go against all those years.”