Tiger Woods has begun the next phase of his rehabilitation process in his return to the PGA Tour: hitting golf balls. For the first time since the PGA Championship, Woods is hitting full shots on the range.
Woods announced back in August that he would be taking time off from golf to rehabilitate his back and get back to where he was prior to his surgery on March 31. The former No. 1 golfer in the world perhaps returned prematurely on June 26 to participate in the Quicken Loans National tournament. He missed the cut.
After that, he came in 69th at the Open Championship, withdrew from the WGC-Bridgestone Invitational due to back spasms, and missed the cut at the PGA Championship. Woods' 2013-2014 PGA season was the worst of his career: he participated in seven events, made only four cuts and earned $108,275. Because of these career-lows, Woods decided to move along with prudence and take his time strengthening his back so he can return to form rather than fighting to barely stay competitive.
Mark Steinberg, Woods' agent, told ESPN in a text message that Tiger is "still listening to his doctors. Hitting balls and doing as much as he feels good with." Woods said in August that his trainer and doctors urged him to not practice or play golf and to solely concentrate on rejuvenating the muscles in his back. His surgery left his muscles weak in the following months, and that weakness was attributed to his back spasms.
Woods started hitting full shots on the range last week to ease back into the game. The PGA season is a long one and his health is crucial for his longevity, which he's relying on to break Jack Nicklaus' record of 18 major victories. He's right on the original timeline he planned back in August to return on December 4 for his Hero World Challenge, sponsored by the Tiger Woods Foundation.
"We are thrilled about the depth and talent of our field, and I'm looking forward to another exciting year of competition at Isleworth, a course I love," Woods said in a statement on his website.
And that's the next time we'll see Woods on the course. Some of the top golfers in the world will be at the event, including Henrik Stenson, Jim Furyk, Justin Rose, Bubba Watson, Jason Day, Matt Kuchar, Rickie Fowler, Jordan Spieth, and others. If Woods is completely healthy and ready to go, he could be a big threat this season.