Sport
He’s Back! Tiger Woods first win in 2 years
These last two years are starting to feel like a blur for Woods, this year in particular. He never looked as low as he did when he hobbled off the TPC Sawgrass, withdrawing from The Players Championship after a 42 on the front nine because of leg injuries that ultimately kept him out of competition for three months, including two majors.
Then he missed the cut at the PGA Championship and failed to qualify for the FedEx Cup playoffs.
But his peers noticed a difference about the way his game was coming together in Australia, and it appears to be going in only one direction as Woods headed home to Florida.
“Last year I played with him here the first round and I thought, ‘Wow, this guy is back,’” Steve Stricker said. “You could tell this time around, he’s got even more confidence, more game. He feels even better about the direction he’s headed.”
Woods’ tournament has been a good stepping stone for others over the years. The most recent example was Jim Furyk, who won in 2009 and then had his first three-win season the next year and captured the FedEx Cup.
No one ever imagined Woods needing a boost, but that might be the case.
“I don’t think we’re going to see another 2011, if that makes sense,” Furyk said, alluding to Woods failing to reach the FedEx Cup playoffs this year. “If he steadily progresses, keeps getting confidence and moving forward, he’s going to return and be one of the best players in the game again.”
Copyright 2011 The Associated Press.
