Tiger Woods Looks Solid at Hero World Challenge Pro-Am, But Playing Nine Also Tells a Story
NASSAU, Bahamas — Tiger Woods is the boss, so if he decides he’s going to play just nine holes of a scheduled 18-hole pro-am at the Hero World Challenge, nobody is going to quibble.
As Woods said on Tuesday, he “consulted the committee of one" when it came to giving himself the final spot in the field and apparently on Wednesday morning that same committee decided to make this a short day on the eve of his first competitive golf since the Masters.
Woods looked fine during the nine holes he played, making an unofficial two birdies and two pars and hitting plenty of good shots. Although Woods has never been known to grind in pro-am rounds over the years, his swing looks solid and powerful and his walking is better than what we were used to seeing in his brief competitive golf in 2023.
But there are still signs of a limp that is the result of serious injuries suffered to his lower right leg, ankle and foot in a 2021 car crash. Woods reported Tuesday that he no longer has pain in his ankle following April surgery for a subtalar fusion.
Tiger Woods played well Wednesday in a pro-am, but opted for nine holes instead of the scheduled 18.
Fernando Llano/AP
"Other parts are taking the brunt of the load so I'm a little more sore in other areas, but the ankle's good," Woods said. "So that surgery was a success."
But the pro-am development—he apparently decided before or early in the round to limit the activity—is yet another reminder of the tasks often taken for granted in golf are no simple matter for Woods.
While he looked good moving about the Albany course on Wednesday morning, it was just nine holes and Woods has typically shown more distress as rounds and tournaments have progressed, albeit in limited action.
"He’s got 72 holes ahead of him," said Dr. Pawan Munjal, the billionaire CEO of the Hero MotoCorp who was among four amateurs in the group. His company is the title sponsor of the Hero World Challenge, which benefits Woods’s foundation.
“He’s trying to be careful and conserve. It is fine and is understandable.’’
Woods has played only five official tournaments since returning at the 2022 Masters just more than a year following the car crash. He twice made the cut at the Masters and also did so at the 2022 PGA Championship and last year’s Genesis Invitational. He has withdrawn twice during those five starts.
One of those was prior to the resumption of the third round of the Masters this year. Two weeks later, Woods had the ankle surgery and only emerged this week for the 20-player tournament at his own event.
He spoke optimistically about 2024, acknowledging he might try to play once a month. But also admitted he’s curious to see how things progress.
"I'm not concerned at all about walking it," Woods said. "It's more, as I said, I don't have any of the ankle pain that I had with the hardware that's been placed in my foot, that's all gone. The other parts of my body, my knee hurts, my back. The forces go somewhere else.
"Just like when I had my back fused, the forces have to go somewhere. So it's up the chain. As I said, I'm just as curious as all of you with what's going to happen. I haven't done this in a while."
Albany is a flat, forgiving course with wide fairways that should allow him some ability to see where his game is at and how much he can handle at this point.
Woods is also scheduled to play the PNC Championship in Orlando, Fla., with his son Charlie in two weeks, but that is a 36-hole tournament that allows golf carts.
His first-round tee time Thursday is at 11:52 a.m. with Justin Thomas.