Watch : Tiger Woods impresses early with a dart to 5ft at Hole 1 and nails the birdie putt
The 2023 Hero World Challenge is currently underway, and Tiger Woods is making a much-anticipated comeback to the pro golf scene. After being out for over eight months due to surgery and rehabilitation, Woods has finally returned at the Hero World Challenge.
While Woods is still a bit rusty due to his inactivity, he has not failed to impress at the event, showing glimpses of brilliance on the course. At the beginning of day 2, Tiger Woods hit an amazing shot that landed right near the hole. The par-three shot ended in a birdie for the vet, who showed off that he had not yet lost his brilliant skill.
Tiger Woods' performance on day 1 did not reflect his early display of flash and skill on day 2. On day 1, Woods finished in 18th on the leaderboard after a slightly underwhelming round of 75. Woods was doing well until the 14th hole, after which it went quite downhill for him. However, his relatively poor performance is explainable by the fact that he has been out of practice for such a long time.
Tiger Woods makes 'rusty' comeback at 2023 Hero World Challenge
Speaking about his first round at the Hero World Challenge, Woods said that he knew that he would be okay to perform physically, but he still had to bring himself up to speed mentally. Speaking via The Guardian, Tiger Woods said:
"Mentally, I was really rusty and made a lot of errors in the mind that normally I don’t make. I wanted to play. I felt like I was ready to compete and play. I hit it solid most of the day. As I said, I just didn’t mentally do the things I normally would do and I need to do. I still hit it solid, but I hit it crooked."
After the 18 holes, Woods admitted to feeling a little bit sore. However, this was accounted for in his recovery sessions and preparation to come back and play full tournaments.
"We’ve got some work to do tonight. Tomorrow, get back in the gym and activate and get ready for it. Hopefully I hit some better shots.”
In the second round of the Hero World Challenge, Woods is already doing better and is up to 14th place. Jordan Spieth is currently leading the tournament in the middle of round 2.