Watch: Tiger Woods’ first tee shot at the Hero Pro-Am
The wait to see Tiger Woods again in a competitive event is coming to an end. In fact, this Wednesday, November 29, Woods gave a preview of what you can expect to see starting Thursday at the Hero World Challenge.
Tiger Woods took the first shift of the Pro-Am event of the Hero World Challenge, so he executed the first tee shot of the day. Countless videos are circulating on social networks showing the moment, with hundreds of thousands of views in less than an hour and a half.
Tiger Woods' swing looked very careful and well-worked as usual. He had a little less backswing than fans are used to seeing, as well as less clubhead speed. But his movements were fluid and confident, and there was no shadow of doubt in Woods' face or attitude.
According to Golf Channel anchor and reporter Todd Lewis, Tiger Woods' shot hit the fairway. It's certainly a good performance for someone who has been out of action for more than six months.
Earlier, Woods had a solid warm-up session on the range, where he was also seen taking good swings with his driver. He also had a putting session. As a curious detail, part of his practice putts were made using only his right hand.
Tiger Woods at the Hero World Challenge Pro-Am event
Tiger Woods led the first group of the Hero World Challenge Pro-Am event, teeing off at 8:30 am (Eastern Time) on Wednesday, November 29, starting from hole 1 at Albany Golf Club. Woods will be relieved on hole 10 by the defending champion for two consecutive years, Viktor Hovland.
The event will consist of 13 amateur groups, each accompanied by two pros, one between holes one and nine and the other from hole 10 onward.
For this reason, the Pro-Am will include the 20 members of the Hero World Challenge field and six other players.
The pros were grouped as follows:
- Tiger Woods & Viktor Hovland
- Justin Thomas & Tony Finau
- Scottie Schettier & Keegan Bradley
- Max Homa & Cameron Young
- Collin Morikawa & Will Zalatoris
- Taylor Montgomery & Sam Burns
- Akshay Bhatia & Lexi Thompson
- Tom Hoge & Ben Grifin
- Lucas Glover & Lee Hodges
- Sepp Straka & Matt Fitzpatrick
- Brian Harman & Justin Rose
- Wyndham Clark & Rickie Fowler
- Jason Day & Jordan Spieth
The list of amateurs participating in the Pro-Am event has not been published, however, this type of event is usually attended by representatives of tournament and player sponsors, as well as high profile athletes and artists.
The Hero World Challenge will begin this Thursday, November 30. Woods will be teeing off at 11:52 am (Eastern Time) and shares a group with Justin Thomas. The event has no cuts and will run through Sunday, December 3.