Back to the good ol’ days: Tiger in title contention
He took his cap off on the 18th green to shake his playing partner’s hand, and suddenly the fantasy was over.
High above the trademark smile, Tiger Woods’ hair came spilling out in wild, ancient clumps, their dwindling territory no match for the advancing bald spots in between. Our eyes could no longer deceive us. This was not 1997 or 2002 or 2008 or even 2013. Time had not stopped, or heaven forbid, gone in reverse.
But it was precisely Woods’ age, 42, and the impossible amount of time that had passed since he has given us a moment like this - call it five years - that made Saturday’s (Sunday NZ Time) spectacle in the third round of the Valspar Championship so rich, and that makes Sunday’s (Monday NZ Time) final round, which Woods will begin one shot off the lead, so enticing and potentially monumental for the sport.
On a cool, grey afternoon, on a course - the Copperhead Course at Innisbrook Golf Resort - that he hadn’t played in 22 years, in a tournament he had never before graced, Woods shot a 4-under 67 and whipped a teeming, halfdelirious, half-incredulous crowd into a frenzy. Healthy of body and mind again after a miserable and long road back, he sits at 8 under par, tied with tour veterans Justin Rose (66) and Brandt Snedeker
(67), one shot behind Canadian rookie and 36-hole leader Corey Conners (68).
‘‘I have a shot to win [on Sunday],’’ Woods said after a round of five birdies and one bogey. ‘‘I’m going to try to beat all these guys ... I’ve been in this position many times. I’ve won my share of events. I know what it’s like. I just need to execute.’’
Take a step back and consider what it is we are witnessing, because it wasn’t so long ago that it would have seemed impossible: Tiger Woods, the greatest golfer of his generation if not all-time, a 79-time PGA Tour winner and 14-time major champion, written off as someone who will never again be a competitive force, suddenly sitting one shot off the lead heading into a final round, in the spring of 2018, 26 days before the start of the Masters.
‘‘I can confirm,’’ Snedeker, Woods’ playing partner Saturday, said, ‘‘he’s back.’’
The very sight of Woods - neon pink shirt, grey pants and cap, white shoes - was rare enough anymore to have been considered gawk-worthy on its own, his every move chronicled by hundreds of smartphone cameras. And to have seen him under these circumstances, near the weekend lead, with major season approaching, was something approaching transcendent - even for those who saw it from up close.
‘‘It feels like it’s back to ‘12 or ‘13,’’ said Joe Lacava, Woods’ caddie since 2011. ‘‘Back to the good ol’ days, for sure.’’
It is difficult to overstate the depths from which Woods has recently climbed, from the back surgeries to the tabloid scandals to the DUI arrest just 10 months ago, when he was found to have had five different prescription drugs in his system.
Asked if he missed this feeling during his latest absence from the game, Woods said, ‘‘No. I was living minute to minute. You have no idea how hard it was.’’
This was just his eighth start since the beginning of 2016, and just the fifth in which he has made it to the weekend. It was just his fourth official start since backfusion surgery last April, and just his 13th round of 2018. He opened the week ranked 388th in the world rankings, up from 656th at the end of 2017. Everybody could recite the sad losing streaks: five years since his last win, 10 since his last major.
He was perilously close to spending the rest of his life as a ceremonial figure in the sport, trotted out every once in a while to wave to the fans for old time’s sake.
But there have been signs all spring that Woods was building toward something: a tie for 23rd at Torrey Pines, a 12th-place finish at the Honda Classic. He quickly added the Valspar to his schedule, an additional chance to hone his game, and his competitive edge, before Augusta.
Over 54 remarkable holes here, with expectations starting low and swelling higher, Woods has proven he can still play. On Sunday, we will find out if he can still win.
- The Washington Post