Tiger Woods shakes Verne Lundquist's hand
At a private event in Pacific Palisades, Tiger Woods was explaining the significance behind the Sun Day Red logo. The striped logo of a leaping white tiger has caused some confusion since it was first revealed. Woods revealed that each stripe represents the majors he has amassed over the years.
Inevitably, the question comes up: what happens if he wins another? “We are going to redo the trademark,” quipped the veteran golfer. Are they, though? More importantly, will the need arise? Is Tiger Woods, 48, a betting favorite to win the Major anytime soon?
Has Tiger Woods accepted the reality?
Woods’s body doesn’t function the way he wants it to. A near-fatal car crash that almost jeopardized his career had a lingering effect. Effects that required surgery, even though Woods reluctantly went for it. Self-admittedly in a much better shape, Woods spoke about the post-surgery problems during the Hero World Challenge in December.
His ankle doesn’t move the way it used to. He is still trying to adapt. The Genesis Open will be his first official PGA Tour outing since the Masters (both the Hero World Challenge and PNC Championship were unofficial events, although with OWGR points). It will be an interesting watch to see how the Hall of Famer measures up against a stacked field of top pros. Woods also pointed out that, realistically, he plans to play once a month this year.
Accordingly, after his first outing at the Genesis, the 82-time PGA Tour winner will play in only a handful of tournaments. And if the 48-year-old Woods decides to play literally one tournament a month, then it’s only two tournaments before the Masters and possibly three to four events before the PGA Championship in May.
How well will Tiger Woods be able to perform when others are trying to maximize the output before the Majors? Rory McIlroy, for one, has increased the number of events to earn the elusive green jacket in April. Let’s also not forget that Woods, unlike his previous avatars, was more accepting of the idea that another Major might not head toward his Jupiter residence.
Tiger Woods’s comments at Augusta throw major hints
At the 2023 Masters, Woods finally showed the signs that perhaps reality—depressing as it might be—has grabbed hold of golf’s most ambitious dreamer. “The ability and endurance of what my leg will do going forward will never be the same. I can’t prepare and can’t play as many tournaments as I like. But that’s my future, and that’s OK. I’m OK with that.”
A few years ago, these comments would’ve been rather unimaginable. Only six years ago, the golf pro sat down for an interview with Charlie Rose. The veteran TV personality asked the former World No. 1 if he thought he could win 18 majors. Tiger Woods, with his characteristic humor, answered no before adding, “I’ve accepted I’m going to get more.” Whether Woods still believes it or not is a different question, but his past performances, coupled with surgeries, don’t inspire much hope.
While Woods fans will surely look at the 2019 Masters victory, his fifth and first in eleven years, as a signpost that he can achieve the unthinkable, his fifth Green Jacket came after his 2018 Tour Championship victory. Woods also made four top-ten finishes from his 12 outings that season.
Compared to his current form, Wood’s worry is visible. The former World No. 1 was 18 shots behind Scottie Scheffler at the Hero World Challenge last December. His drives were going haywire at times, and poor judgment plagued his game. There was a lot to work on, Tiger Woods himself admitted. He was still bombing 300-yard drives, yes, but his driving accuracy pushed him to 12th in the 20-man field. Woods also ranked 20th in Approach to Green and 18th in Putting. If anything, those stats showed that another win, and that too a major, was a long shot. And now, months later, perhaps an even longer one!
