The American’s comeback has been delayed by the serious back problem, which has forced him into multiple surgeries, but the former world number one is hopeful of making a strong return in the Safeway Open.
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TIGER Woods will likely make his return to competitive golf next month, the 14-time major victor revealed overnight. It is the first event of the PGA Tour’s 2016-17 season and will be his first tournament in more than a year.
If all goes well, the 40-year-old is aiming to feature in the Safeway Open, Turkish Airlines Open and then the Hero World Challenge as he aims to return to the top.
“I don’t try and get into too much schedule stuff with him, but we chatted a bit and he felt like he was pretty positive with how the progression was going with his body and he felt like he was starting to make the turn with it and obviously if we’re going to see him three times in the fall, that it means that his body’s in good shape”. That would be really fun. And I don’t know if anyone’s going to emulate that at all, but I think people need to remember that. “I haven’t seen him”, Mickelson said Wednesday after the BMW Championship pro-am, according to ESPN. “It’ll be exciting to see him back on the course again”. Plus, he’ll have a week off. He said that if Woods can overcome his driving woes and put the ball in play off the tee, his iron play and short-game talents can carry him to victory once again.
He added: “I think you miss the buzz that he creates at tournaments”.
“This time I think he’s done it the right way by waiting and not coming back too soon”. I’m also excited to return to Turkey and Albany [in the Bahamas]. But it’s always tough to come back, even though you’re one of the greatest of all time, it’s very hard to kind of get that sharpness back.
Woods last played a tournament at the 2015 Wyndham Championship where he finished T10.
The Safeway event will be played just two weeks after the Ryder Cup, where Woods will serve as a vice captain for the United States. “Our expectations of him will always be high”.
The Hero World Challenge, to be played December 1-4 in the Bahamas, is an 18-player event that invites players based on the world rankings and major championships.
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This will be the third consecutive year of the PGA Tour at Silverado, which has a long history of having hosted professional tournament golf, dating to the late 1960s.
