January 24, 2017: The temperature rises up by a couple of notches every time a certain Tiger Woods tees off at a golf tournament. The reaction is an all too familiar phenomenon for fans around the world. Yet Woods’ return this week at the Farmers Insurance Open seems to acquire a deeper halo. There is plenty of excitement about the return of Tiger to Torrey Pines. So much so that the presence of Jason Day, Dustin Johnson and Phil Mickelson at the same event feels like an afterthought.
Twenty years after turning pro, Tiger Woods still evokes a strange sense of awe despite his lack of success in recent times. In fact Woods will be making his first PGA TOUR start in 19 months, since his appearance at the Wyndham Championship in August 2015.
Tiger has scheduled a busy return
Tiger is wasting no time getting back into the thick of things. He will play four events in five weeks. The golf world is watching intently to see if Tiger’s battered body can handle the schedule.
Woods will play Torrey Pines this week. It is a familiar destination for Tiger – after all he won eight events in La Jolla. After that he will fly to Dubai to complete a long standing commitment in Dubai.
The Genesis Open will be the next stop, after a week of rest. He will go back to Palm Beach from there to compete in the Honda Classic.
Tiger stays optimistic
“If my back feels good, I know I can prepare, I know I can play. I know how to shoot scores,” Tiger said. “But I need to have my health in a state where I can prepare to get my game ready to play at an elite level.”
Even as fans are consumed about his return this week, Tiger is looking ahead to the Masters. “I’d love to play [the Masters],” said an optimistic Woods. “I’d love to win. I’ve won it four times. Hopefully I can add a fifth.”
The noise could reach fever pitch by the time he reaches Augusta. Woods will need a solid run over the next few weeks to remind his detractors that he is far from finished.
