From number one in the world and second on the US PGA Tour at the end of the 2013 season, to 25th and 218th positions, respectively, when 2014 concluded. From five wins and 8.5 million dollars in winnings to a best finish of 25th, two withdrawals, two missed cuts and 108,000 dollars.
Last year was, obviously, not one of Tiger Woods’ better ones in a sporting sense: on the contrary. Comparing it with his previous worst season, 2011, that year he played nine tournaments (in 2014 just seven) and finished in 132nd position on the PGA Tour, as against 218th this time. Five years ago the horrendous story of his double life and adultery came to light, and this resulted in his divorce from Swedish model Elin Nordengren a few months later, and his stay in a clinic that specialised in helping people with sex addictions.
In 2011, the ligaments in his left knee – on which he had been operated in 2002 and 2008 – once again caused problems and forced him out of competition for a period of time.
After regaining his magic with the clubs and returning to top position in the world rankings in 2013, thanks to five victories on the PGA Tour, alarm bells rang again in March 2014 when he announced that back problems would prevent him from playing in one of his most successful tournaments, the Arnold Palmer Invitational, which he had won eight times. A ninth would have been a Tour record as no other player had won the same event nine times. At the end of that month, just before the US Masters at Augusta, Tiger was operated on to free a nerve that for months had been preventing him from playing to his best out on the course.
In June he re-appeared but was unable to make the cut, although he did qualify for the weekend rounds one week later in the British Open, albeit eventually finishing 69th. His next two efforts ended up in his withdrawal from the World Golf Championship Bridgestone Invitational and a missed cut (75-74) in the US PGA.
His last appearance of the year came four months later at the start of December, in the Hero World Championship in Florida… a mediocre performance (he finished last, 26 shots behind the winner), including vomiting out on the course after drinking water that made him feel sick, an effort that Woods himself was unable to explain. “It’s surprising to hit such bad chips. My short game has been terrible; it’s one of those days when nothing goes right.” The good thing was that he didn’t suffer from back pain and that gave him some optimism for the future.
“To go out here and play without any pain is great progress, and also to be able to hit the ball as hard as I really want to.
“I’ve made some progress,” said Woods. “I had not played for four months and I haven’t got any pain, which is pleasing. Being able to give it all on some of the drives, as I’ve been able to do this week, shows me that what I’m doing is correct for my body.”
The difference with this return to competition – his fifth over the past five years due to injury – is that Woods is working with Chris Como, his third swing coach in the past five years.
Tiger did not reveal when he would play his next tournament. “It won’t be the Tournament of Champions,” he joked.
In spite of finishing tied 17th in Florida (only 18 players competed in the event), this was his top finish of the year, the previous best having been 25th in the World Golf Championship-Cadillac Championship.
The main surprise in the Hero World Challenge was, without a doubt, his poor short game, both chipping and on the green. Woods attributed this to the fact he was in an adaption phase and that he had been using a mix of his former swing and the one he is trying to adopt now. He missed eight chips, four on the same hole.
“I’ve been in the same situation before,” he said after rounds of 77, 70, 69 and 72. “I’ve been injured and not competed for a long time. I’ve had to take this journey in order to return again. Winning takes its time. I was unable to compete for a while with my Achilles, and in two years I won eight times. It’s a process to return to that level. You have to work to achieve that… and I have time.” Even though he didn’t mention it, he probably was referring to the next major, the Masters at Augusta in April.
He has three months to try to recover some good feelings, and the dauntless precision game that has made him one of the greatest – if not the greatest – players in the history of the sport.
