Tiger Woods has much to prove to many people when he makes his return to competitive action today after a 10-month absence. There are, however, two people he would like to impress most.

His long-term injury problems (and other issues) have meant that Woods’ 10-year-old daughter Sam and son Charlie (eight) have only seen him in action in old online videos, rather than live on the golf course.

“I never thought my kids understood what I’ve been able to do in the game of golf, because they always think I’m the YouTube golfer,” Woods said in an interview with Sky Sports.

“They’ve never really seen me in action. Charlie was there when I won in Akron [in 2013], but he doesn’t remember it – he was too young. Most of the stuff they’ve watched has been highlight packages and they’ve never seen what I can do on a golf course.”

Referring to his recovery after surgery in April, Woods said this week’s event would be a “big step” but he had to be patient. “I don’t have pain in my back anymore, but I do have some stiffness,” he told the BBC. “I’m still learning what my body can and can’t do, so just give me a little bit of time. 

“Let me play this event and see what I can and can’t do, and we’ll all have a better understanding once I’m at game speed. I’m looking forward to seeing how I feel. There is still some apprehension going forward and this week is a big step for me. Last year I was still struggling with the pain. I looked like I was playing in slo-mo – I didn’t realise how bad my back had become. It has been a slow, degrading process.

“The neatest thing for me is to be by the bed, grab a club and not have to use it as a crutch. That’s so exciting for me. I am so thankful I have had this procedure and got to this point.”

Woods is paired alongside Justin Thomas for the first round of the 18-player Hero World Challenge in the Bahamas.

 

Full list of pairings:

Hideki Matsuyama and Francesco Molinari 

Charley Hoffman and Kevin Chappell 

Patrick Reed and Daniel Berger 

Justin Rose and Tommy Fleetwood 

Henrik Stenson and Alex Noren 

Justin Thomas and Tiger Woods 

Dustin Johnson and Brooks Koepka 

Kevin Kisner and Rickie Fowler 

Matt Kuchar and Jordan Spieth