Well, he’s back. Just days after his caddie says Tiger Woods is due to make his comeback in “a few weeksâ€, the word is out that, indeed, the world number one will step on to the tee next week at the Accenture Match Play Championship in Tucson, Arizona.
According to the PGA Tour website, Woods has confirmed his participation in the tournament, part of the World Golf Championships series, to Commissioner Tom Finchem, who said:
“We received confirmation today that Tiger Woods has committed to play in next week’s Accenture Match Play Championship. We are delighted that Tiger is returning to competition and look forward to watching him compete next week.â€
Woods has been out since June last year after winning the US Open at Torrey Pines. The 14-time major winner decided to give himself a break to undergo surgery on damaged knee ligaments. He also had a stress facture in his left tibia.
Golf has been poorer since Woods decided to sideline himself and miss the British Open and US PGA Championship, both won by Padraig Harrington.
Attendances have been down, TV ratings have decreased and the global credit crunch has had an effect on many of the sport’s corporate sponsors.
Woods’ return to the fold will provide golf with a huge shot in the arm because of his ability to draw in the crowds, and sponsors, wherever he goes.
Tiger has been practicing full-on for some time now and the main obstacle standing in the way of his return has already been removed – the birth of his son Charlie Axel, his second child with wife Elin.
The question remains, though, as to how he will perform once he returns. ACL injuries are cruel and athletes who have undergone the procedure rarely regain 100 per cent of their former abilities.
But even Woods at 90 per cent is the best golfer in the world. And fans still won’t get enough of him.
