As Tiger Woods Braces for an Underwhelming Start, Can the 47-Year-Old “Realistically” Win His Elusive 16th Major?

Tiger Woods is back. And yet he isn’t at the same time. The 82x PGA Tour winner is teeing up at the Hero World Challenge. But the Woods, who raked in those whopping titles, knocking even the next best out like Muhammad Ali did Sonny Liston, played hide and seek throughout the day. While it might be outright cruelty for anyone to expect a golfer whose body went through as much as Woods’ did to dramatically turn the clock a decade back, even the most practical of his fans had a faint hope to witness a glimmer of that sublimity that separated Tiger Woods from the also-ran crowd.

But a beautiful chip shot on the 14th was one of the rare instances of a moment that came close to vintage Woods. But, then again, it’s also that simmering fire behind the ice-cold eyes and the flicker of greatness behind the all-too-thin cloak of irrelevancy that has buoyed the hopes of fans for a rare feat. Even Tiger Woods believed he could top Jack Nicklaus. We don’t know whether he still “realistically” harbors that desire, but fans sure want another “return to the glory.” But can he? Is it possible?

How has Tiger Woods performed at Albany?

Tiger Woods finished with a 75 after the first day at the Albany Golf Club. His “rusty” gameplay visibly frustrated him, as he admitted in a post-round press conference. However, it was going at a pretty decent pace in the first few rounds. The Big Cat was under par until the 14th. And then he slipped.

A double bogey on one of the easiest holes at the par-5 15th started a slew of scruffy drives and slipshod approach shots. Woods would admit the mistake with a frustrating sigh in the post-match press conference: “I didn’t play Par 5 well all day.” A lack of exposure to the professional field has affected his game.

Even Tiger Woods feels that the lack of mental sharpness took the edge off his game in the closing stretch. “Mentally, I was really rusty and made a lot of errors in my mind that normally I don’t make.” Mental toughness and strategy have saved him countless times. But the question is, can his body permit it?

Woods has some limitations due to injuries

Woods admitted that he felt sore. Where? “Everywhere,” says the golfer with a rueful smile. He had his back fused. Result? He can’t twist like he used to. He had ankle surgery. Result? He still has limited mobility. The 82-time PGA Tour winner, at this point, is rolling with the punches life keeps throwing at him.

But that has been his biggest advantage. That he can change his game when the situation calls for it, that he can switch gears from being aggressive to extremely risk-averse, is what has not shoved him into obscurity. Not yet. In an interview with Charlie Rose in 2016, Tiger Woods said there are things that he can’t do due to his surgeries and age. Instead, he can do a few other things to achieve the same results.

Adaptability. It’s what great athletes have done. Adaptability and pushing through pain are what won Kerri Strug an Olympic medal with a torn ligament. It’s what Roger Federer did to win three more Grand Slams after going through as many knee surgeries in 2016. Adaptability is how Petr Cech laughed at the face of a career-ending skull injury and continued to play in the English Premier League for over a decade.

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Tiger Woods is 47. In a little less than a month’s time, he’ll inch one step closer to fifty. By the time he plays, and if he plays at the Majors in 2024, will the legend be able to bring his A-game? History doesn’t really favor the 15-time major winner here. But history can be rewritten. That’s what Phil Mickelson did when he became the oldest major winner at the age of 51. Julius Boros is the only second person to win a major after turning 48. But there are believers in Woods’ dream. Fred Couples sure thinks Tiger Woods can be a favorite if he can play one tour a month, as he said recently. Going by the loud cheers for Woods in the 2019 Masters, Couples surely isn’t the only one who has that dream.

In a studio room with Charlie Rose seven years ago, Tiger Woods said something with a casual smile that holds the key to the puzzle. Speaking of his winning mentality, Woods said he has learned it all from his late father. “You still have that?” Rose asked. “Oh yeah, that part hasn’t left me. I know how to get it done. I just need to get in a position to get it done.” He is “Tiger Freaking Woods,” after all.

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