Rumors of Tiger Woods’ imminent return to golf may, once again, be greatly exaggerated. Indeed, if the ailing golfer is to make his long-awaited return to the PGA Tour at next week’s Bridgestone Invitational — as recent reports indicated – that’s news to his swing coach.
“We have not hit any balls,” Sean Foley told CBSSports.com on Tuesday. “And I have no idea what his plans are as far as when he plays again. It’s up to the doctors.”
Speculation has swirled lately that Woods, who as of this week was ranked 21st in the world — the first time he has been outside the top 20 since 1997 — would give it a go at this week’s Greenbrier Classic, and when that did not pan out, at Bridgestone, an event he has commanded over the years. If his balky knee and Achilles tendon keep him sidelined for the tilt at Firestone Country Club, it’s unlikely he would be ready for the tour’s final major, the PGA Championship, the following week.
All of which would seem to point to Woods’ 2011 season ending when he withdrew from the Players Championship in May after nine holes of hacker-like play. After all, even a healthy former No. 1 would have to kick off the rust from such a long stint on the disabled list before teeing it up in competition, wouldn’t he?
With the secretive Tiger, though, anything’s possible — even a scenario in which he has been practicing on his own, leaving his coach of almost a year clueless. Of course, Woods’ experiment as his own advisor with nothing but a video camera — following his split with Hank Haney – didn’t really go all that well.
Then there’s the matter of the FedEx Cup. If you’re like most golf fans, you’ll want to run screaming from the room or at least emit a vociferous yawn at the mention of FedEx Cup points. The reality for Woods, however, is that (as CBSSports indicated) he must play in the last three weeks of pre-playoff events just to be eligible for the four FEC tourneys that begin with The Barclays in August.
Even then, Tiger would have to earn enough points to make it into the top 125 to play in the The Barclays in New Jersey and the ensuing three events — Boston’s Deutsche Bank Championship, the BMW Championship at Chicago’s Cog Hill, and the Tour Championship at East Lake in Atlanta.
As things stood Tuesday, Woods was 133rd in the FedEx Cup pecking order and — as with his status in the world golf rankings and chances of his return to competitive golf in 2011– sinking like a stone.
(Photo: Chris Graythen/Getty Images)
(Emily Kay is a regular contributor to New England Golf Monthly. Check her out on the Waggle Room, Boston Golf Examiner, National Golf Examiner, and GottaGoGolf websites. You may also follow Kay on Twitter @golfexaminer.)
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