This is a very exciting week for golf for a couple of reasons — the new season of the Europe Tour kicks off in South Africa, while in Orlando, Florida, Tiger Woods makes his much anticipated return to professional golf at the Hero World Challenge.

Any new development with Tiger is followed with much interest by fans of the game, which is understandable given the incredible achievements of the man. In a sport where winning one major is so difficult, Tiger’s won 14. And there are more than a 100 wins worldwide to go along with that.

However, with age catching up and his body taking a severe beating in the last few years, this latest comeback of his might just be the most crucial phase of his storied career.

The great thing about our game is the longevity of a player’s career. As you have seen on several occasions, like when Tom Watson was contending for the title at the 2009 Open Championship at the age of 59, age is not a limiting factor in golf. I firmly believe while you do need to be in good shape physically, there is no replacement for experience that comes with age.

But in Tiger’s case, it is the physical part of the game that is taking a beating. Along with shoulders, the back and the knees are the two most important part of the body when you are trying to make a golf swing. You need all three to be in proper condition, but Tiger has had ongoing issues with the last two.

Hopefully, it would be a physically fit Tiger that we see this week. I really do not care how well he plays, as long as he plays without any after-effects of the previous injuries. If he can continue to be pain-free, I have no doubt he would soon regain the form that saw him become the most dominant player in the game.

It won’t be easy for Tiger to get to Jack Nicklaus’ mark of 18 major wins. Of course, there is also the fierce competition he faces from all these new 20-years-old, but mostly because he needs to be 100 per cent fit over the next few years to have that chance. Nicklaus himself could be Tiger’s biggest motivation, having won his final major at the age of 46.

Moving on, the new season of the European Tour begins with the $6.5 million (Dh23.87 million) Nedbank Golf Challenge at the Gary Player Country Club in Sun City.

Along with defending champion Thomas Bjorn, several top stars like Martin Kaymer, Lee Westwood and Jamie Donaldson are in the fray this week. The limited-field tournament, played on a superb golf course and with a large prize purse, is a fantastic way to start the season, and a great way to establish early dominance in the Race to Dubai for the 30 players involved.

— Jeev Milkha Singh is a four time champion on the European Tour