Abu Dhabi: There may be doubts in the minds of golf pundits about Tiger Woods attaining peak form as the 14-time champ plans to make yet another comeback to competitive golf on November 30.
Speculation was rife that Woods would never play again after his career-threatening back injury, but the 1180th ranked golfer in the world is now keen to put that to rest with his comeback.
More than anything what everyone is curious to know is if the 42-year-old has the firepower left in him to make an impact on the big stage. Tiger has tried to convince his fans by posting some videos of his swing on line and, though everyone is not very confident, his niece Cheyenne Woods very much is. She firmly believes that when it come to her famous uncle, “anything is possible.”
Tiger, on Tuesday, chose the Hero World Challenge for his next outing — a tournament hosted by him, which benefits his own foundation. With just 18 golfers participating, it is relatively a less competitive field for Woods, who is making a comeback after a nine-month layoff.
“It is exciting and it will be good to see him able to play, get back out there and compete,” said Cheyenne, who is here in the capital making her debut at the Fatima Bint Mubarak Ladies Open that got under way yesterday.
“Everyone is looking forward to see Tiger back out there on TV and on Tour. He is still favourite for a lot of golfers, we all grew up watching him and it will be nice to see him back out there competing,” added Cheyenne, who ironically was here in the Middle East last year at the Omega Dubai Ladies Masters when Tiger had announced a similar comeback bid.
It is the second year in a row that Woods is making a dramatic return at the Hero World Challenge. Last year, Woods had missed more than a year after his third back surgery when he battled alongside the other 17 top ranked golfers in the Bahamas. That appearance after 466 days saw him finish 15th at the elite 18-man event in the Bahamas — 14 shots behind winner Hideki Matsuyama of Japan. The 42-year-old was the oldest player in the field, but made the most birdies for the week at 24.
Woods hasn’t competed since then. He withdrew after the first round of the Dubai Desert Classic in February due to a lingering back injury. Less than two months later, he underwent a fourth back surgery, which kept him sidelined for the remainder of the 2016-17 PGA Tour season.
Cheyenne was of the view that her uncle still has that “never say die attitude” and will do everything possible to achieve his goals. The road to peak fitness following surgery is a testimony to how headstrong Tiger is, asserts Cheyenne.
“Tiger was trying do everything in his powers to get healthy. We were all supporting him. He is a hard worker and he would do anything and everything possible to be right back in the game. That’s what he has done again,” revealed Cheyenne who went on to add that Tiger can be written off only at one’s own peril as he has stunned many with his play in the past and is very much capable of regaining lost ground quickly.
“I think you can never predict what Tiger Woods is going to do. He has done so much to surprise all of us with his success and you never know what is going to come.”
