Woods eyes Riviera win
Tiger Woods returns from a seven-month injury absence this week amid plenty of uncertainty, but his goal at the Genesis Invitational remains clear: to win.
"I would not have put myself out here if I didn't think I could beat these guys and win the event," the 15-time major champion said Tuesday as he prepared to tee it up at Riviera Country Club.
"That's my mentality."
Woods hosts the tournament for the benefit of his charitable foundation, but it wasn't until Friday that he confirmed he would actually make his first tour-level start since the British Open in July.
Since then, he has continued his recovery from the severe leg injuries he suffered in a February 2021 car crash, his biggest problem now the "intricate little balance" of building stamina in his damaged ankle so that he can walk 72 holes for four straight days.
"I can still hit shots, but it's the walking endurance that's hard," Woods said. "That's something that we've had to work on, walking distances on the beach, just basically stress it out but also be able to recover by the next day and see how it is inflammation-wise and then keep practicing.
"I may have overdone it a couple times here or there, but here I am," he said.
After several surgeries in the wake of his accident, Woods made a stunning comeback at the 2022 Masters, finishing in 47th place. He withdrew from the PGA Championship in May after 54 holes, and missed the cut at the Open Championship at St Andrews.
A planned return at the unofficial Hero World Challenge in December was called off because of plantar fasciitis in his right foot.
He did play two low-key December exhibition tournaments – both allowing the use of carts – but four tournament rounds pose a strikingly different challenge.
"I am very rusty, but I've come off a rusty situation before (and) I've done well," said Woods, who has notably come back from knee and back injuries in his career.
"Plus, I know this golf course," he added. "I know I haven't had a lot of success on this golf course, but I knew what to practice for, shots to hit at home getting ready."
Woods has a long history at Riviera, the picturesque course in Pacific Palisades west of downtown Los Angeles that he first visited as a child.
He made his PGA Tour debut at Riviera in 1992 as a 16-year-old high schooler playing on a sponsor's exemption.
He missed the cut – and Riviera remains the course he's played most without a tournament victory, with a runner-up finish in 1999 his best result in 13 tournament starts.
Riviera features some daunting terrain, with a steep hike down from the first tee and another climb up a set of rustic railroad-tie stairs from the 18th green to the clubhouse.
"Maybe signing for something in the mid-60s will get him up that hill pretty quick," suggested former world number one Justin Rose, who was impressed by what he saw of Woods's game in the American's brief outings in December.
"In terms of the important part of can you hit a golf ball, can you get a ball in the hole, all of that seemed to be really in order," said Rose, who ended a four-year title drought at the Pebble Beach Pro-Am this month.
Woods headlines a stellar field for the third of the US tour's new "designated events" designed to showcase and reward the game's top players.
Nineteen of the world's top 20 players will tee it up competing for a tournament-record $20 million purse.
Scottie Scheffler, who regained the world number one ranking with his Phoenix Open victory last week, could be supplanted either by Northern Ireland's Rory McIlroy or Spain's Jon Rahm – both of whom have top-flight victories this year.
So Woods will be testing himself against a quality field in what he acknowledges will be one of very few starts this year. He has said he hopes to play the major championships and "maybe one or two more" events.
"Would I like to play more? Yes," Woods said Tuesday. "Will (injuries) allow me to? I don't know. I have to be realistic about that."
(责任编辑:关于我们)
- NYT mini crossword answers for August 29
- Neymar ready to meet expectations
- Tesla to 'hopefully' launch the Model 3 in India this summer: Elon Musk
- The golden age of streaming sports isn't perfect, but it's still damn good
- 抖音超600万次传播量!广东省农事运动会乡村直播大赛火出圈
- 提前谋划部署准备秋季开学
- Instagram cracks down on apps that give fake follows and likes
- Seoul calls on Pyongyang to stop belligerent rhetoric
- US does not oppose Asian allies to build better ties with China:
- Newborns hit new low, but births to those unmarried reach record high: data
- Seoul’s median age forecast to reach 52 by 2040: report
- NK resumes encrypted numbers broadcast after 2
- This ridiculously big AirPod actually works and is Bluetooth compatible
-
Black Friday GPU Buying Guide: November GPU Pricing Update
There's a lot to discuss in this month's GPU pricing update with some updates regarding Nvidia's upc ...[详细] -
[Graphic News] Maternity leave usage highest among teachers, civil servants
About 76 percent of government workers and teachers at public schools who become pregnant use state- ...[详细] -
CAS clears Ecuador to play at World Cup
LAUSANNE:Ecuador have been given the green light to take their place at the World Cup after the Cour ...[详细] -
Korean Air Force to acquire 2 more Peace Eye AEW&Cs: source
South Korea's Air Force plans to acquire two more Peace Eye airborne early warning and control aircr ...[详细] -
Where to pre-order the Pixel 9 and Pixel 9 ProGoogleGoogle Pixel 9Starting at $799 (plus get a free ...[详细]
-
Facebook held back on Trump and Russia so Republicans wouldn't get angry
Community first, eh?A New York Timesreport published Wednesday is full of bombshells about how Faceb ...[详细] -
Yes, we know that Apple's new iPad Pro has more than 90 magnets (which is why you can stick it to yo ...[详细]
-
Sex toy designers react to the wild sex toy in 'Watchmen'
I admit I don’t know much about Watchmen —the comic book series, the 2009 film, or the n ...[详细] -
Ford can make your Mustang Mach
One of the first big tricks Tesla pulled from its sleeve was when it started offering over-the-air u ...[详细] -
How Tim Ferriss, Pat Flynn, and Mimi Ikonn hack their lives in 5 minutes a day
Life hacks are everywhere. From the obvious — getting a good’s night sleep to become a & ...[详细]