Tiger’s recipe for ’19: More rest, less play
Busy 2018 teaches Woods about need for time off
NASSAU, Bahamas — Tiger Woods was too good for his own good this year.
Quickly surpassing his limited expectations in the first quarter of 2018 and realizing his fused back could hold up to the rigors of practicing for and playing a full season on the PGA Tour, Woods pieced together a game that put him in contention more times than not.
He wound up playing in all four FedExCup playoff events and made 18 starts on the PGA Tour, his most since he played 19 in 2012.
With the good, however, came the bad. Woods played seven events in nine weeks, the highlights being his victory in the Tour Championship — his 80th on tour and first since 2013 — and his runner-up finish in the PGA Championship.
But all the golf — and the stifling heat that met players on the first tee in most of those events — took a toll. By the time Woods reached the Ryder Cup in France in late September, he was spent and went 0-4-0 as the United States was routed by Europe.
‘‘I was not physically prepared to play that much golf at the end of the year,’’ Woods said before the start Thursday of the Hero World Challenge. ‘‘It was just hard for me to maintain my strength and my weight through all that. I tend to lose a lot of weight when I play. I was exhausted by the time I got to the Ryder Cup. I was worn out mentally, physically, emotionally.’’
Thus, as he heads toward his 43rd birth- day Dec. 30, Woods is formulating a blueprint to conserve energy and maintain his strength while still being a major player in 2019. After the Hero, Woods will fly Sunday to Australia for activities involving the 2019 Presidents Cup, in which he will captain the U.S. squad.
Upon his return to his Florida compound, he will celebrate the holidays and tend to daily activities that will strengthen his body, boost his endurance and sharpen his game.
‘‘Being physically in better shape going into next season is very important in being able to handle the condensed schedule and all the big events we play every month,’’ Woods said. ‘‘There’s literally a big event every single month, so I’ve got to be in better shape than I was [this] year to be able to handle that because [this] year was a moving target.’’
Woods said there are only five starts he’ll make in 2019 that are set in stone now: the Genesis Open in mid-February and the four majors (the Masters in April, PGA Championship in May, U.S. Open in June and British Open in July).
He likely has started chiseling in a few more, including the Farmers Insurance Open in January, The Players Championship in March and the Memorial in May.
But however many events he plays, don’t expect the number to reach the 18 he played this year.
‘‘I played all my good tournaments when I had time off and I felt rested,’’ Woods said. ‘‘If I didn’t feel rested, I didn’t play well. Maybe that’s just being a little bit older, but I think it’s important, and playing seven of the last nine [this year] was too much. I have to make sure that doesn’t happen again.’’