WAITING & WATCHING

Tiger return has golf world sitting on pins and needles

YOU may or may not have heard, but Tiger Woods is coming back. Again. Seven months removed from his third back surgery, Woods, who has played just seven tournament rounds since 2015, has been ramping up for his 2017 debut at this week’s Hero World Challenge in the Bahamas.

In the recent lead-up to his anticipated comeback, word slowly has leaked out about how he has been swinging the club — first by Woods posting videos of his swing on social media and more recently via fellow players who have been practicing with him in South Florida.

Rickie Fowler, for example, told reporters the other day Woods was hitting it “way by” him off the tee.

Davis Love III, a contemporary of Woods’ who has become a friend during his time as the 2015 Ryder Cup captain and as a fellow 2016 Presidents Cup assistanttant captain, saw the Fowler comments and reached out to Woods. “I texted Tiger last week and said, ‘I hear you’re outdriving Rickie down there,’ ” Love told The Post by phone Saturday. “And he came right back with a text and said, ‘Berger, too.’ ” As in Daniel Berger, who like Fowler, is one of a growing group of young stars who hits the ball a mile. That text exchange told Love all he needed to know about how hungry Woods is to immerse himself in competitive golf again. “It’s a big deal,” Love said. “Shoot, I’m excited for himhim. I think he’s finally in a googood place. We talked a lot aabout his spinal fusionsion ssurgery. Now he’s fixed.” Five yyears ago, Love had the sasame surgery Woods had in April, though his fusiofusion was near the neck and Woods’ fusion was in his lower back. Jason Day last said to reportersporters Woods told him he feels bebetter than he has in yearyears since the April susurgery. “I told him, ‘Shoot, if I could come back frfrom that [surgery] anand win, you ought to be able to come bacback and be Tiger WoWoods again,’ Love saidsaid. LoLove’s hope is Woods’ healthealth truly is sound enouenough to allow him to play a full schedule so he can find his rhythm again.

“If he starts and stops again, keeping getting hurt, keeps staying out for three months, it’s not going to happen,” Love said. “But I told him this: ‘You play your normal schedule for the next few years and you’re going to get back to the top. You just have to be patient.’

“He has to ignore everybody else because they expect him to do it at Hero next week, to shoot 65, and everyone said, ‘Tiger Woods is back.’ I’m looking at it as like, ‘Please, Lord, just let him be healthy and play a full tournament.’ ”

According to tournament officials, nearly 90 media members are credentialed to cover the tournament, which without Woods might not have more than about nine occupying the media center at the Albany Golf Club.

The world will be watching this week.

“Here’s how interested I am: I’m trying to figure out if I can walk well enough to get on a plane with [PGA Tour commissioner] Jay Manahan and go with him to watch on Wednesday for the day,” said Love, who had hip replacement surgery Wednesday. “I don’t think I can pull it off — I’m limping down the hall in my house right now with a walker. But if I was 100 percent, I’d go down there just to watch him play the pro-am. I’m interested.”

So is current 2018 U.S. Ryder Cup captain Jim Furyk, who like Love, is a contemporary of Woods’ and a friend.

“I don’t watch a lot of golf on TV,” Furyk told The Post by phone. “But this week, I’ll keep an eye on it.”

Woods’ appearance at the Hero, which benefits his foundation, will mark the first time he has played competitive tournament golf since February, when he withdrew after one round at the Dubai Desert Classic because of his ailing back.

Woods played 11 events in 2015 and seven in 2014. The last of his 79 career wins came in 2013, when he won five times in 16 events. The last major championship he played in was the 2015 PGA Championship. The last time he played all four majors was in 2014.

“I’m kind of anxious just like everyone else to see what happens,” Furyk said. “What do I expect? It’s difficult. I’m not Tiger Woods, but if you had me come back after a two-year break, it would be hard. I would be rusty. I wouldn’t be sharp. I’d make some mistakes. I’d probably show some flashes at times of my old self.

“But then again, he’s Tiger Woods, right? We all expect something.”