When Tiger Woods underwent surgery yet again in August 2019, equalling an all-time record in golf was likely the furthest thing from his mind.
Since 2002, Woods’ career has been littered with several surgeries to fix knee and back issues that forced him to spend time away from the fairway.
In fact, the 48-year-old conceded in 2015 he had ‘reconciled’ himself to the prospect of never playing golf again after undergoing back surgery.
But no matter how many setbacks Wood faced, he continued to press ahead.
Woods went on to record one of his most famous victories in 2019 when he won the Masters, marking his first triumph at a major in 11 years.
But Woods’ injury issues once again reared their ugly head after his win at Augusta and forced him to go under the knife for yet another knee surgery.
However, not even his latest medical procedure would stop Woods from taking part in the first ever PGA event held in Japan.
The likes of Woods, Rory McIlroy, Xander Schauffele, Patrick Reed and national hero Hideki Matsuyama among others descended on the Narashino Country Club in October 2019 for the inaugural Zozo Championship.
Woods was paired with English star Tommy Fleetwood and Japan’s Satoshi Kodaira.
The 15-time Major winner started poorly as he carded bogeys on each of his first three holes.
But what followed was yet another Woods masterclass as he rattled off a staggering nine birdies across the next 15 holes to sit at six-under 64 at the end of the first round.
Fleetwood claimed Woods’ remarkable turnaround was ‘probably the best round of golf I’ve ever watched’.
“Like just the way he conducted it,” Fleetwood told the PGA Tour’s website.
“The way he played, the control he had of his golf ball. I shook his hand and I was like, ‘Tiger, that was really good today.’ And he just looks at me and he went, ‘How about that, huh?’ with that big grin of his.
“And at that point I was like, man, even he knows it was so good. So yeah, it was very, very impressive.”
However, Woods’ momentum was halted due as Typhoon Bualoi wreaked havoc on the Narashino course.
Over six inches of rain flooded the fairways and forced Friday’s play to be cancelled as the second round was pushed to Saturday.
Unfortunately for spectators, who turned out in droves on the opening day to watch the PGA Tour’s superstars compete in Japan for the first time, Saturday’s action would be fan-free.
It didn’t stop supporters from climbing up trees and peering through gaps in fences to catch the action.
Luckily for Woods, the wild weather did little to slow his red-hot form as he carded 64 once more courtesy of five birdies on the back nine.
His final flurry ensured he held a two-stroke lead over American star Gary Woodland going into the third round.
Woods once again remained in front going into the final round, with Japanese star Matsuyama in second and trailing by three strokes.
However, Woods flung the door wide open for Matsuyama to close the distance when he bogeyed early on.
Woods was helpless as he watched Matsuyama line up a five-foot putt which would have shaved the American icon’s lead to one shot if he sunk it.
Yet the Japanese star failed to hold his nerve as Woods hit a birdie on the same hole.
There was only ever going to be one winner from that moment as Woods won with a score of 19-under, three strokes ahead of Matsuyama who finished in second.
It proved to be a historic victory for Woods and not just because he was the winner of the inaugural event.
Woods’ triumph was his 82nd PGA Tour victory, which tied the all-time record for most wins set by Sam Snead.
Unfortunately for Woods he has not been able to eclipse Snead and become the outright leader due to further injury issues, with none more significant than when he was involved in a single-vehicle accident in February 2021.
Investigations revealed Woods was driving at twice the speed limit when he crashed as he required urgent surgery on open fractures to his lower right leg and further injuries to his foot and ankle.
Woods has been largely limited in his play throughout 2024 having withdrawn midway through the Genesis Invitational.
He finished 60th at the Masters but missed the cut at the PGA Championship, the US Open and The Open.
The 2024 Zozo Championship commences on October 23 and will be once again be held at the Narashino Country Club.
