Opinion & Analysis
DeFrancesco: Why Tiger Can Still Come Back
Just about everyone who is interested in golf wants to know if Tiger can come back. I happen to think he can, and I have a unique perspective as to what he is going through.
I had my first back surgery (a single-disc laminectomy, much like Tiger’s first three back surgeries) in 1983 while I was playing the mini tours in Florida. I had been a First-Team All-American at LSU in 1979 (good team that year: Corey Pavin, Fred Couples, Bob Tway, John Cook, Bobby Clampett, Gary Hallberg, Scott Watkins and myself. Mark O’Meara, Payne Stewart, Joey Sindelar and Mark Wiebe were on the 2nd team), and I had turned professional a year later. I made it to the Q-School finals in 1985, but the amount of practice it took to get there blew up my back again and I had to have a two-level fusion at S1-L5 and L4-L5. I gave up trying to make the Tour and got a job teaching, and it took me a year before I could play 18 holes.
Unfortunately for me, my trials were not yet over. The fusion bone grew in too well, so I had to have another surgery in 1988 to make more room around the nerve roots that the fusion had stabilized. I took a couple of years off away from the game, but I got back into teaching in 1991. I got to be a busy teacher, but I was determined to continue to play competitively at the club pro level. I made a pretty good career out of it, earning player of the year honors in my section four times, qualifying for five PGA Championships (by finishing in the top-20 at the National) and winning the National Club Pro in 2001 at age 43. I had to be constantly mindful of how much I practiced, and there were many occasions when I had to withdraw from events. Over the years, I tried to make adjustments to my swing that would allow me to play and get the most out of my body I could.
As a young player, my swing resembled the greats of the 70s (Nicklaus, Watson, Miller, Weiskopf) with an exaggerated “reverse-C” finish. I discarded this type of action for a more Hogan-esque rotational swing that was less stressful on my lower spine. This held up nicely for the most part until about 2009, after which the stiffness that had built up and over time made it difficult to strike the ball well enough to compete at my accustomed level. In December of 2014, I went in for my fourth and last surgery. My surgeon opened space around the nerves exiting from the sides of the two discs above the fusion, L3-L4 and L2-L3. The main problem with a fusion is that it eliminates all rotation in that area of the spine, and biomechanically the areas above and to the sides of the fusion are stressed in an abnormal way. It took me eight months to get back to tournament golf after that, and I am now able to practice more than I have in many years.
As you know, Tiger Woods just underwent his fourth back surgery in the past two years (he has now caught up to me in the race no one wants to win), and most of the pundits are thinking that he is done and will never compete on a high level again — certainly not anywhere near the level he demonstrated from the early nineties to 2013. As I mentioned, I happen to disagree with that assessment, and I will tell you why. The thing that most people who have not had back problems don’t understand is the difference between pain and limitation. A player of Tiger’s caliber can learn to play with limitations. If his body won’t do as much of what it used to do, he can still adapt his swing to what his body will allow and play great golf. If the basic movements required to make a good swing cause pain, however, the body simply will not allow itself to be injured and thus it will stubbornly refuse to function in the manner the player wants it to.
Tiger has been trying to alleviate his pain with the less invasive surgeries he has undergone up to this most recent one. It hasn’t worked out because even the minimum amount of stress he has put on it trying to play has eventually brought about pain, and with pain the muscles spasm to protect the area from further damage. That’s the end of the attempt to play. Now that he has undergone a fusion to stabilize the spine and remove the faulty disc, he has a chance to eliminate the nerve pain caused by the narrowing of the nerve root openings. This is a big deal. My guess is that his surgeons have recommended a fusion procedure for some time, but the word “fusion” itself is kind of scary. The first orthopedic I ever saw for my back told me I would need a fusion. I thought he was crazy and found another doctor. Tiger probably felt like he could beat the problem with smaller measures, but after his last failed attempt at coming back he finally saw the writing on the wall and opted for the more drastic fix.
The key is this: if Tiger can play pain-free golf, he can figure out how to play within his limitations and can compete at the highest level. Ben Hogan is a great example of just such a scenario. Hogan was playing the best golf of his life in 1948 and early in 1949. Then he was hit head-on by a bus while driving back to Texas from a tournament. He suffered multiple serious injuries and almost died of blood clots a few weeks after the accident. He underwent a radical procedure to tie off one of the main arteries to his lower extremities, and as a result he had to soak in a hot tub for two hours and wrap his legs in ace bandages before every single round. In addition to the blood supply problems, Hogan also suffered a fractured left collarbone, a double ring fracture of the pelvis, a broken left ankle, a broken rib, and several deep cuts and contusions around his left eye. All of this served to shorten Hogan’s career (he essentially retired in 1955, six years after the accident), and he never played in more than six events in a single year after 1949. But due to his determination and technical knowledge of the golf swing, he could play through whatever pain he felt and was able to modify his swing. He was not as powerful, but he was perhaps even more precise.
Hogan won six majors between 1950 and 1953, and he came close in others. I see no reason why Tiger, if he can rid himself of the stinging nerve pain and muscle spasms that follow, can’t pull a Hogan and make a great comeback. I believe he needs to discard the notion of “explosiveness.” I am not talking about swinging easy, rather, I would like to see him compress less into the ground in the backswing and bring his hand path out toward the ball more in transition to give himself more space for his arms and hands and to encourage rotation in his lower body. He doesn’t have to hit it as far as Dustin Johnson to win majors; he can hit it as far as Zach Johnson and win.
Tiger may not need the money, but I certainly think he still has the drive to continue to compete and win PGA Tour events. I don’t believe he will give up, and this next attempt to make a comeback will again be something to watch.
Opinion & Analysis
Brandel Chamblee PGA Championship Q&A: Rose’s huge McLaren risk, distracted LIV pros and why Aronimink suits the bombers
PGA Championship week is here, and Brandel Chamblee did not hold back in our latest discussion ahead of the season’s second major.
In our 2026 PGA Championship Q&A, golf’s leading analyst made the case that PIF pulling LIV’s funding has left its players competing in a state of confusion, called Justin Rose’s mid-season equipment switch a huge risk at 45, and explained why Aronimink will be a bombers’ delight this week.
Check out the full Q&A below.
Gianni: With the PIF confirming that they’re pulling funding from LIV at the end of the season, what impact do you expect that to have on the LIV players competing at the PGA Championship?
Brandel: I would imagine that they have all been thrown into a state of confusion, and will be distracted, not knowing where they are going to play next year and not knowing exactly their road back to either the DP World Tour or the PGA Tour. Or in Rahm’s case, being tied to a sinking ship for the next few years, likely playing for pennies on the dollar in events that no one cares about or watches.
I doubt this would put him in the best frame of mind to compete at his highest level. Keeping in mind, however, that majors are the only time that LIV disciples get to play in events that matter, so never disregard the motivation they have to prove to the world they are still relevant.
Gianni: Justin Rose switched to McLaren Golf equipment mid-season while playing some of the best golf of his career. What do you make of the change?
Brandel: I don’t really know what to make of Rose switching equipment. It seems a huge risk on his part, even though it is likely, in my opinion, that the clubs he’s playing are similar, if not the exact grinds, to what he was playing previously, with a McLaren stamp on them.
Having said that, at best, it is a distraction when he seemed to be as dialed in with his game as any 45-year-old could be and trending in the majors to perhaps do something that would definitely put him in the Hall of Fame. At worst, given the possibility that these clubs aren’t just duplicates of his old set stamped with McLaren on them, he’s made an equipment change that would take time, and 45-year-old athletes don’t have the time to do such things.
Gianni: Aronimink has only hosted a handful of professional events since it hosted the 1962 PGA Championship. What kind of test does it present, and does a course with less recent major championship history tend to level the playing field?
Brandel: Even though Aronimink has only hosted a handful of meaningful professional events, it has been fairly discerning in who can win there. When Keegan Bradley won the BMW Championship on the Donald Ross masterpiece in 2018, he was the 2nd best iron player on tour coming into that week. When Nick Watney won the AT&T at Aronimink in 2011, he was 2nd in strokes gained total coming into the week.
In 2020, Aronimink hosted the KPMG Championship, and Sei Young Kim won. On the LPGA that year, she was first in greens in regulation, putts per green in regulation, and scoring average on the way to being the LPGA player of the year. And then there is the 1962 PGA Championship won by Gary Player, who eventually became just one of a few players to win the career grand slam on the way to winning 9 majors. It is a formidable test, and if it’s not softened by rain, it will bring out the best in the upper echelons of the game.
Gianni: Is there a specific hole at Aronimink that you think will do the most to decide the winner?
Brandel: The hardest hole at Aronimink in each of the three tour events that have been played there since 2010 has been the long par-3 8th hole, with the par-4 10th being the second hardest, so most of the carnage will happen around the turn, but with the par-5 16th offering opportunities for bold plays and the tough closing holes at 17 and 18, the finish is likely to be frenetic.
Gianni: The PGA Championship has always sat in the shadow of the other majors. What does the ideal PGA Championship look like in your eyes, and what would it take for it to carve out its own identity?
Brandel: The PGA Championship, to whatever degree it suffers from the comparison to the other three majors, is still counted just as much when adding them up at the end of one’s career. Almost 1/3 of Nicklaus’ major wins were the five PGA Championships he won. Walter Hagen won 11 majors, five of which were PGA Championships.
Tiger Woods twice in his career won back-to-back PGA Championships, and those four majors count just as much as the other 11 he won. The PGA may not have the prestige of the other three, but it carries the same weight. Having said that, I preferred the identity that it had as the last major of the year.
Gianni: You nailed your Masters picks. Rory won, Scottie finished solo second, and Morikawa surged to a tie for seventh. Who are your top 3 picks for the PGA Championship and why?
Brandel: I am not a huge fan of majors played on golf courses that have been shorn of most of the trees, although I understand some of the agronomic reasons for doing so and of course the ease with which it allows members to play after errant drives. However, at the highest level, it all but eliminates any strategy off the tee and turns professional golf into an even bigger slugfest. That means that it will likely be a bomber’s delight this week, but fortunately, Scottie Scheffler is long enough to play that game and straight enough to play it better than anyone else.
The major championships give us very few surprises anymore, going back to the beginning of 2012, so the last 57 majors played, the average world rank of the winners has been better than 15th in the world. So look at the highest ranked and longest drivers who are on form coming into the PGA Championship who also have great short games as the surrounds at Aronimink are very challenging. That’s Scottie Scheffler by a mile and then McIlroy and Cameron Young with a far bigger nod towards DeChambeau than I gave him at the Masters.
In this episode of the Club Junkie Podcast, we dive into one of the most interesting flatstick releases of the year with a full review of the new TaylorMade SYSTM 2 putters. After spending time on the greens, I break down what makes this design stand out, where it performs, and why it has me completely torn between loving it and fighting it. If you are into feel, alignment, and consistency, this is one you will want to hear about.
We also take a look at some of the putters in play on the PGA Tour last week. From familiar favorites to a few surprising setups, there is always something to learn from what the best players in the world are rolling with under pressure.
To wrap things up, I walk through the process of building a set of JP Golf Prime irons paired with Baddazz Gold Series shafts. From component selection to performance goals, this is a deep dive into what goes into creating a unique custom set and why this combo has been so intriguing.
This year my 50th birthday. Gosh, where has the time gone?
As a teenager in rural Missouri, some of my junior high and high school years felt interminable. Graduation seemed light years away. But the older I get, the faster life seems to fly by.
I’m also increasingly aware of my mortality. My dad died recently. Earlier this year, a friend and fellow PGA of America professional and I were texting about our next catch-up. The next message I received was news of his unexpected passing at 48. Shortly after, a woman I dated in college succumbed to cancer at 51.
Certainly, one can share perspective at any age. Seniors help freshmen, veterans guide rookies. But reaching this milestone feels like as good a time as any to do one of those “what would I tell my younger self?” articles.
I’ve had a uniquely varied career in golf. I started as a 27-year-old, average-length-hitting, 14-handicap computer engineer and somehow managed to turn pro before running out of money, constantly bootstrapping my way forward. I’ve won qualifiers and set venue records in the World Long Drive Championships, finished fifth at the Speedgolf World Championships, coached all skill levels as a PGA of America professional, built industry-leading swing speed training programs for Swing Man Golf, helped advance the single-length iron market with Sterling Irons®, caddied on the PGA TOUR and PGA TOUR Champions, and played about 300 courses across 32 countries.
It’s been a ride, and I’ve gone both deep and wide.
So while I can consult and advise from a lot of angles, let me keep it to a few things I’d tell the average golfer who wants to improve.
1. Think About What You Want
Everyone has their own reason for picking up a golf club.
Oddly, as a professional athlete, I’m not internally driven by competition. That can be challenging, as the industry currently prioritizes and incentivizes competition over the love of the game.
For me, I love walking and being outdoors. Nature helps balance my energy. I prefer courses that are integrated into the natural beauty of their surroundings. I’m comfortable practicing alone. I’m a deep thinker, and I genuinely enjoy investigating the game, using data and intuition to unearth unique, often innovative insights. I’m fortunate to be strong and athletic, so I appreciate the chance to engage with my abilities. Traveling feels adventurous. I could go on.
You don’t have to overthink it like I do. For you, it might be as simple as hitting balls to escape work, hanging out with friends, and playing loosely with the rules and the score.
The point is to give yourself permission to play for your own reasons, and let that be enough.
But if improvement is your goal, thinking about your destination—and when you want to get there—is important, because it dictates the steps you need to take. When I set out to go from a 14-handicap to the PGA TOUR as quickly as possible, the steps I needed were very different from those of a working golfer trying to break 90 in six months. That’s also different from someone who just wants a few peaceful hours outside each week, away from work or family.
None of these goals are better than the others, but each requires a different plan that you can work backward from.
2. There Are Lots of Things That Can Work
One of the challenges of golf is that, although there are rules for playing, there aren’t clear, industry-wide standards for how to best play the game. There’s a lot of gray area.
You might hear a top coach or trainer insist that a certain move is the best way to swing or train. Then you dig a bit deeper and, much to your confusion and frustration, another respected coach or trainer says something completely different. I don’t think anyone is trying to confuse you—at least I hope not. It’s just where the industry is right now.
You have to be careful with advice from tournament pros, too. They might be great at scoring, but they’re also human and sometimes just as susceptible as amateurs to believing things that don’t really move the needle. Tour players might describe what they feel, but that’s not always what they’re actually doing when assessed with technology.
I recently ran a test on my YouTube channel (which connects to my GolfWRX article “How to use your hands in the golf swing for power and accuracy”), and, interestingly, two of the most commonly taught hand actions produced the worst results in the test.
Coaches can certainly help. If you find someone you connect with to help navigate, that’s great. But there are many ways to get the ball in the hole. In the current landscape, you may need to seek multiple opinions, think critically, and use your own intuition to discern what seems true and whose advice resonates with you.
I’d recommend seeking someone who is open-minded and always learning, because things constantly change. Absolutes like “correct” or “proper” should raise a red flag. AI can be useful, but it tends to confidently repeat popular advice, so proceed with caution.
3. Get Custom Fit
If you’re serious about becoming a better player, getting custom fit is hugely important. There’s no sense fighting your equipment if you don’t have to. Most better players get fit these days and, if they don’t, they’re usually skilled enough to work around clubs that aren’t ideal.
If you plan to play for a long time, it’s worth spending a little more upfront to get something that truly fits you and your game, rather than continually buying and discarding equipment.
Equipment rules haven’t really changed significantly since the early 2000s. To stay in business, manufacturers keep pushing those limits. If you pull a bunch of clubs and balls off the rack and test them, you’ll find differences. I’ve tested two new drivers and seen a 30-yard total distance gap. Usually, the issue isn’t bad equipment; it’s that the combination of components simply isn’t the best fit.
It’s like wearing a new pair of floppy clown shoes. Sure, they’re shoes—but you won’t sprint your best in them compared to track shoes that fit perfectly.
Be wary of what’s called custom fitting, too. Sometimes the term is used as a marketing strategy rather than an actual fitting. In some retail settings, fitters may be incentivized to steer you toward higher-priced components. That doesn’t automatically mean it’s not the best fit, but you should be aware of potential biases.
I learned a version of this lesson outside of golf. Years ago, I bought a tennis racquet at a big box store from a seemingly knowledgeable employee who thought it would suit me best. The racquet gave me tennis elbow, and I spent months recovering with rest and acupuncture. The next season, I invested more time and money to find what actually fit me, and I walked away with something amazing that I still play with years later.
So if you’re going to get fit, be smart about it.
Find someone you believe has deep knowledge—possibly with certifications, but not necessarily. Make sure there’s a wide inventory across many brands. Check recent reviews for the individual fitter if possible. Make sure you trust that the fitter has your best interests at heart. If they’re wearing a hat or shirt with a specific brand’s logo, proceed with caution. Unless you specifically want a certain brand or look, be wary of upsells, especially if two options perform nearly the same.
Also, while golf is called a sport of integrity, there’s a thread of manipulation in the industry. I once drafted an equipment article for an industry magazine, structured just like one of their previous popular stories, with matching word count and great photos. The assistant editor loved it; it was useful to readers and required little work on his part. But the editor-in-chief nixed the story. When I asked why, I was told it was because I wasn’t an advertiser. It turned out the article I’d modeled mine after was a paid ad cleverly disguised as editorial content.
I really dislike games, clickbait, and fear-based manipulation. I hope this changes, but golfers deserve to know it exists.
4. Distance and Strategy Matter
There’s a real relationship between how far you hit the ball and your scoring average, even at the PGA TOUR level.
I experienced this early in my pro career. I started as a power hitter, swinging in the high 120s and breaking 200 mph ball speed with a stock driver.
Back then, some instructors advised swinging at 80%, so I tried slowing down for more accuracy. That worked fine on shorter, tighter courses. But on longer setups, I was coming into greens with too much club, and par 5s stopped being
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Pete
May 5, 2017 at 4:52 am
I haven’t been a Tiger fan ever since the infamous “loose impediment” incident in 1999 (not in the spirit of golf IMHO). That said, I do hope he can comeback and compete at the highest level again because it will be great for the sport I love.
rymail00
May 4, 2017 at 8:09 pm
Great article Wayne, really enjoyed and hope read more from you. Maybe even lesson articles too if possible.
Steve Wozeniak
May 4, 2017 at 3:34 pm
He is done unless he finds a coach that knows what he is talking about. Foley and Como are twins they teach the same garbage……duh…..let’s swing left, even though the target is not over there and it will destroy my back….yep let’s just swing left baby!!!!!! Time for a course on simple physics….
Steve Wozeniak PGA
SH
May 4, 2017 at 7:16 pm
I love you Steve
Doug Ferreri
May 8, 2017 at 7:21 am
Finally another voice of reason.
farmer
May 4, 2017 at 2:10 pm
WayneD played at a high level-for a club pro. Not close to tour level. Tiger is 41, by WD’s words, it’s going to be 8 months before he can start to work again, so, 42. He’s going to have to learn a new swing, which is going to take a year to get grooved, so he’s now around 43, he’s forced to play a very limited schedule, limited range time … there’s just too many things. Even without the injuries, Tiger last won a major in 2008, and he is at the age where golf careers begin to tail off. I would like Tiger to be pain free, play an occasional tournament with no great expectations and be able to live a normal life, whatever passes as normal for a rich celebrity. As a force on tour, nope, never going to happen.
Mitch Young
May 4, 2017 at 11:44 am
3 years ago tiger woods was still the best iron player in the world when he hit the fw, even though he had the worst year of his career. just put that into perspective, his absolute worse and put an iron in his hands and he beats the best of the best. tiger is a very special talent, one we will never ever see again, all the things that we think that are extraordinary is simply trivial to him. when you are so ahead of the curve, you will always have a boxer’s chance at winning in golf or better yet a major championship. the masters is a crap shoot with a limited field every year. the british open is weather the most weather dependant major. i doubt tiger would ever win a US open, he just doesn’t drive the ball well enough to be a front runner. the pga i say he will have a harder time winning. so for a 42 year old with multiple back surgeries, he still has a 2.5/4 of winning a major.
James Stephens
May 4, 2017 at 10:03 am
Tigers never gonna swing hands out coming down. He can’t do it. He’s done. Wayne D is a master bs artist
Mr Muira
May 4, 2017 at 8:14 am
Tiger is done, fried, cooked, finito. It was a pleasure watching him.
NolanMBA
May 4, 2017 at 7:31 am
My “good back” friends just don’t know what it’s like… When you are in an icy parking lot and consider getting down and rolling/crawling to get where you need to go just to prevent slipping and throwing your back out– then we can talk.
larrybud
May 3, 2017 at 10:39 pm
Because a 3 is sooo close to top pga tour players… huh.
lolerballz
May 9, 2017 at 4:59 am
haha! the classic USGA +3 hcp and yet if you play with him, he never goes lower than 80 :DDD
Jude
May 3, 2017 at 10:07 pm
Your writing is a breath of fresh air. Very encouraging I pray he plays again competitively.
Fat Perez
May 3, 2017 at 4:38 pm
Come back to WHAT?!
mlecuni
May 4, 2017 at 4:20 am
New era of TIGER being called PHOENIX ?
MATTHEW SIPE
May 3, 2017 at 3:48 pm
Everyone overlooks the amount of practice (daily) he would need to get back into tournament shape. That’s not gonna happen, he can’t continuously practice the amount needed to perform on the highest level due to these injuries.
H
May 3, 2017 at 11:41 am
You forget that the women get in the way. How he destroyed so many of them. Edlrick’s ego too. And the kind of money we’re talking about that Eldrick has, compared to what Hogan was making, is astronomical and can’t even be compared, the money is a massive factor that will take away the hunger to go after it. Plus it’s mostly the public and media scrutiny he faces every time he steps out to the course that he can’t handle. He never has been smart at making speeches nor speaking in public. His management team and agents surround him in a cocoon now so he doesn’t put his foot in the wrong thing, you can see he’d rather just be at home with the kids and be left alone. His agents and publicists are geniuses at keeping Eldrick’s noise in the media, keeping the world up to date, even trying to upend other people’s successes by publishing updates at inappropriate times. That’s the world he lives in. If it was pure golf for winning tournaments only and going for records, I’m sure he’d be out there gunning for it, but all this other stuff have stopped him. Has anybody asked how often he speaks to Elin or allow her to see each other’s kids or themselves, for that matter?
Dorcas
May 3, 2017 at 4:18 pm
“He never has been smart…”
The irony is real.
Bob Jones
May 3, 2017 at 11:29 am
Three spine surgeries here. I’ve had to learn to accept my limitations. I’m not sure Tiger’s out-sized ego can accept his. But, then, is he willing to go through missed cuts and mediocre finishes in his attempt to come back? Be just another Tour pro on his way to…what? That, not his back, will be the sticking point.
Golferguy
May 3, 2017 at 11:14 am
Tiger’s been beating up on his body with golf since he 3 or 4 years old. He should just take what’s left of his health and move on to coaching.
Chopper
May 3, 2017 at 11:09 am
So here is a guy that has played golf at the top 0.01% level and has happened to have very similar injuries and surgeries and all you 15 handicappers immediately dismiss his opinions because they do not line up with your predetermined outlook on Tiger. Interesting.
BD57
May 3, 2017 at 7:53 pm
Nelson, Snead, Palmer, Player, Weiskopf & Nicklaus, none of which I’m aware.
Hogan … um, there was this head on collision with a bus …….
hburt
May 3, 2017 at 10:43 am
Very well written article. You obviously know more than most about back pain and the golf swing. Like you said, with this major fix Tiger will have a chance to play pain free again. But still remains to be seen. Even if the physical part works out, he will have to muster the mental strength to come back and win again.
Definitely don’t question his mental strength when Earl was around – it was unparalleled. But since 2006, I do question it. I’m not sure he has it in him to humble himself and make swing changes to accommodate his physical limitations. Don’t think it’s in his DNA. I think he gets frustrated and just tries to power through.
I don’t question that he wants to come back and win. But I don’t think he knows how to struggle through tough times. His whole life he has always been the best. Not saying he didn’t work hard, but I think everything came pretty easily to him. He’s not used to seeing other guys blast it past him. He’s not used to having the chipping yips. That sort of thing never used to happen to him. I think it’s taken him down a few pegs, in our minds and in his own. That is what I think he won’t be able to overcome.
We’ll see. I actually hope you’re right and I’m wrong.
Tcann32
May 3, 2017 at 4:04 pm
I think you’re spot on with the statement of it not being in Tiger’s DNA to change the way he plays.. not enough to follow through with it anyways. He has started to change some aspects, but I just don’t see him slowing things down enough to make the necessary changes. This also begs the question: Without Tiger’s swing, the one that won countless tournaments (80-ish?) and 14 majors; is it still Tiger, and will he be good enough to compete as he once did with a different swing and approach to the game? He’s obviously going to be able to hold on to many, many very strong aspects of his game, but can he re-vamp other parts of his game well enough to compete with some of the things he will have to give up? Like you, I hope I, and you, are wrong. It’d be great to see him come back and win. Even just win a regular tournament. 2013 was really exciting to see the big cat come back and win again, even if it didn’t include any majors.
With what he has shown so far though, he’s going to have to re work his swing, his approach to the game, and his mental game as well, and that’s the part I think will hold him back. He’s a golf nut and couldn’t stay away entirely the last couple years, and couldn’t make the changes needed to stay healthy, and I’ll be surprised if he can do it again. Not to mention, after hitting what I must assume is a million golf balls with the same swing over many years, and now having that swing be limited, the road to recovery will include more than feeling good again, and will entail re-learning everything. I’m sure he can learn faster than anyone, but his muscle memory won’t do him any good because he’s going to have to change so much. His mental and muscle memory might even hurt him because those are the things that can’t be erased and much of it won’t fit into what he’s going to presumably attempt to do now. .
TvGuyJake
May 3, 2017 at 10:25 am
TW couldn’t even make it back as a caddie? I love the reasoning in these articles…ooh “let em get the reader’s attention” with some specious reasoning. Take off the rose-colored glasses,,,you’ve seen the last of TW; and that includes the Senior Tour. #MoveOn
Joe
May 3, 2017 at 10:10 am
the tiger is done. sorry. move on.
JD
May 3, 2017 at 9:42 am
Yeah sure…. and Grizzly Adams had a beard.
ooffa
May 3, 2017 at 9:16 am
Nah he’s washed up. Forever. Not coming back. Have to say he had a great run though.
Rex
May 3, 2017 at 10:26 am
Best run ever. Better than jacks. If anyone wants to argue that first think about wgc events
ooffa
May 4, 2017 at 8:51 am
That’s the issue. Tiger was a run. Jack was a marathon. The runner has collapsed. Jack was better.
Greg V
May 3, 2017 at 9:10 am
Hogan had only won 3 majors before his accident (4 if you count the Hale America Open during WWII). As well, he started his equipment company in 1953, so he had plenty of reasons work his tail off to win majors.
Tiger has already won 14 majors. Where’s the incentive?
ROY
May 3, 2017 at 9:57 am
He’s still short of Jack and Sam – thats his incentive…..
Tcann32
May 3, 2017 at 8:58 am
I have similar injuries to the writer, and to Tiger. It’s awful, nasty, and no fun at all. I have yet to undergo surgery as I’ve already had eight or nine operations in my shorter life span, and am not interested in going in for another. That being said, some days it seems like it’d be worth it.
Now, if the back is anything like other injuries after an operation, then the writer nailed it on the head in saying that Tiger will need to change some things about his swing and the way he plays. It’s possible to get your body to perform well enough to achieve the same end results as before, but you can’t do it in the ways in which you became injured in the first place, and Tiger doesn’t seem to want to change that so much. I also believe that with the right changes, he could come back in much better form than he has. The only question I really have, is without that explosive swing and style of play, will it really be Tiger, and will he be good enough to beat those that might not be as good as Tiger once was, but are better than Tiger on his bad, mediocre, and decent days. I don’t think he’d win tournaments by 10 strokes anymore, healthy or not, so he will have to excel in other facets of the game in which he can get a leg up over the field again, while giving up the advantages he used to have.
Steve S
May 3, 2017 at 8:52 am
I agree that Tiger COULD play and be good again, but I don’t thing his ego will allow him to revert to a finesse game from his power game….and he’ll have to become a much better putter.
Hans
May 3, 2017 at 8:51 am
Tiger is the needle so you are probably going to get a lot of opinions here, but I just wanted to say thanks for the insight. Coming from someone who also had a fusion and played played golf at a very high level, it’s interesting what you say about a player being to play with limitations (but not pain). It would seem that being able to practice less is a big limitation (esp for Tiger since he likes to make swing changes) which might be the biggest roadblock, that and his age (he doesnt have a ton of time to learn to adapt). Insightful to hear how you were able to adapt and produce great golf again in a similar situation.
cgasucks
May 3, 2017 at 7:56 am
I look forward seeing Tiger win again….on the Champions Tour.