Tiger faces a question of stamina
TIGER WOODS makes his first official start on the PGA Tour for a year in the Farmers Insurance Open today but for once all eyes may not be on the 14-time Major winner.
Woods, 42, has won eight times at Torrey Pines, including his last Major in the 2008 US Open, but missed the cut in this event 12 months ago, withdrew after an opening 77 in the following week’s Dubai Desert Classic and sat out the rest of the year until returning with a tie for ninth in December’s 18-man Hero World Challenge.
Wood feels he is free of problems with his suspect back and said: “Before the Hero I was basically given the OK probably about three or four weeks prior to the tournament and I thought I did pretty good in that prep time.
“Now I’ve had a little more time to get ready. I’ve played a lot more golf and overall I feel I’ve made some nice changes. I feel good.”
But speaking ahead of the defence of his Dubai Desert Classic crown, Masters champion Sergio Garcia urged caution.
“It’s going to be interesting to see,” said Garcia of Woods’ game.
“But there’s a big question mark over how he’s going to do physically.
“He looked pretty good at the Hero. But he has looked good at the Hero in the past and then, you know, he hasn’t lasted too long.”
Woods is rated 22-1 to win his first event since 2013, with defending champion and world No2 Jon Rahm favourite as he seeks a victory which would take him to the top of the world rankings.
“It’s kind of hard to process it because I live my day-to-day life with my girlfriend and my team around me and they don’t change their behaviour based on what I do,” said Spaniard Rahm.
“They’ll never change what they think of me. So I really don’t know the magnitude of what I do until I go outside my comfort zone.”
Rahm turned professional only in June 2016 but won three times worldwide in 2017 and started this season with a runner-up spot behind Johnson in the Sentry Tournament of Champions and victory in the CareerBuilder Challenge last week.
In Dubai, Rory McIlroy said he would be chasing a first win since 2016 with a “spring in his step” after exceeding expectations on his return.
McIlroy has won the tournament twice and had five other top-10 finishes in his last seven starts, but missed last year’s event with a rib injury.
He practised hard over the winter – despite revealing he had an irregular heartbeat – and finished in a tie for third behind European No 1 Tommy Fleetwood in Abu Dhabi.
He has not lasted too long