Tiger Woods 2023 Fixture: More events expected but competitiveness in doubt amid ongoing recovery

news7g12/28/2022

1 4 minutes read

Tiger Woods 2023 Fixture: More events expected but competitiveness in doubt amid ongoing recovery

Tiger Woods taught us nothing during his hectic December of golf. What was supposed to be a bit of a harbinger of how 2023 might turn out for him is nothing more than a continuation of what he looks like in 2022.

Woods first withdrew from the Hero World Challenge due to plantar fasciitis before teaming up with Rory McIlroy a week later to lose to Justin Thomas and Jordan Spieth in The Match VII. It was a performance (by both sides) that Spieth could still be recalled when they all gathered at masters next April. After that short game at Pelican Golf Club, Woods teamed up with his son, Charlie, in the PNC Championship, where they finished in 8th place, six strokes behind Vijay and Qass Singh.

Tiger’s run-of-the-mill performance is almost the perfect symbol of his 2022. Some great turns, incredible speed for someone his age and injury history, lots of rust and a lot of frustration from a body that can’t be as good as it should be. he wishes.

This is Tiger now. The idea that this would perhaps be a year-end push towards a healthier, prosperous 2023 was quashed immediately when he withdrew money in the Bahamas and then again as he looked forward. often (though delightfully trivial!) at the Pelican with Rory.

However, there seems to be a refusal to admit that Woods is incapable of competing at PGA Tour events, much less winning major championships. Three-time big winner Padraig Harrington said during the PNC Championship that he thinks Tiger will win another big prize! While players strongly dislike saying that Woods will Not win again, it still sounds ridiculous.

Woods himself has admitted that his problem is not hitting the shots but walking the golf course. At The Match and the PNC Championship, he can use a golf cart, which won’t be allowed if and when he tees off in 2023. Harrington also focused on the pace Woods created, which Thomas did. also note.

“He said that at Hero: He can hit whatever he wants and obviously some days are going to be different from others,” Thomas said. “He said it for himself: He’s got a lot of speed. He hit 100% farther than I do with the driver right now, and when he’s feeling well and moving as well as he is. [at the PNC], he can do whatever he wants. So it’s great that he has a stroller and can enjoy this week.”

But what about 2023? What about the Genesis Invitational and the Arnold Palmer Invitational, the Player Championship and the Masters when that metaphorical crutch was removed and Woods had to run 72 holes on one leg, never going to 100% again? Can he compete without the coveted reps he so often talks about?

Even Tiger didn’t know.

“No, not yet,” Woods said when asked if he could predict what 2023 would look like. “Because if I don’t have this feeling in my foot, well, I can tell you that and I’ll have a better idea. But I have to rest, stretch and let it heal. But I’m not doing that at the moment.”

There are some problems; perhaps the biggest is Woods turning 47 this week. Yes, he is suitable. Yes, he can still rotate it. Yes, he is Tiger Woods. But 47 is 47, and his age certainly hasn’t helped his leg heal.

Woods is in a better position now than he was a year ago. Recently, he said that his only goal for 2022 is to play in the Open Championship and he is surprised that he can afford to play in the PGA Championship as well as the Masters. He will likely try to top that total this year by playing in all four majors and perhaps one or two other events. Will he finish all the tournaments? Who knows, but he will almost certainly try to start them.

What doesn’t really make sense is the widespread notion that Woods can compete in the professional league and possibly even contest a championship. He hasn’t come close to that in 2022 (47th, retreat, miss) and any incremental improvement in the health of his legs could be attributed to his aging body. it compensates. (Remember, his back isn’t in top shape either.)

There is no clear path for Woods to get fit enough to do the work needed to keep him sharp enough to win his 16th major championship.

Does that mean Tiger will be a ceremonial golfer in 2023 and beyond? Sure is not. He will have his moments. He will shoot 66 at some point. He’ll be on the big charts on Friday or even the weekend. He’ll deliver a thrill or two along the way. However, he lacks the physical stability needed to really compete with the 72 honing holes needed to stand a chance of winning another major.

The tension between his skill (still very high) and his physical ability (all over the map) will be the story when it comes to Woods in 2023. It will probably follow him for the rest of his career. The fact that his contemporaries, Phil Mickelson, won a major at the age of 50 will only contribute to the uproar. Winning golf tournaments – especially the ones Woods competes in – at the age of 47 is an incredibly difficult, almost impossible challenge. Doing so with a muscular body like Woods’ would exacerbate that difficulty.

So while we’ll see more Tigers in 2023 and his presence would be a good thing in light of the PGA Tour’s rivalry with LIV Golf, December is no sign of them. We’ll see more of Woods doing what he’s done throughout his career: competing to win high-level golf tournaments. Those days are almost certainly over, and while we may catch a glimpse of one or two opposites of that over the next 12 months (or more), the past few weeks have been a reminder of how important it is. Woods’ mind and what lies ahead.