Can all the kingās horses and all the kingās men put golfās Humpty Dumpty back together again?
Tiger Woods is sidelined for an indefinite amount of time after undergoing surgery on his right ankle to address post-traumatic arthritis caused by injuries suffered in his single-car crash in Los Angeles in February 2021. Woods withdrew during the rain-delayed third round of this yearās Masters in April after showing considerable discomfort walking the hills of Augusta National in bad weather.
Jack Nicklaus, whose record of 18 majors is looking more safe with every passing day and every injury Woods sustains, prefaced his comments about Woods during a press conference ahead of his appearance in the Greats of Golf exhibition Saturday during the Insperity Championship on the PGA Tour Champions.
āI donāt know a lot about what heās been through,ā Nicklaus began.
āHeās showed a lot of guts and courage to play and try to be part of whatās going on with the way heās been,ā he continued. āHeās actually swinging pretty well; he just canāt walk.ā
Nicklaus recounted how he sat next to Woods at the Champion's Dinner at the Masters, as he does most years.
āWe talk quite a bit,ā Nicklaus said. āHe said, āIām really playing well. Iām hitting the ball great. My short gameās great. My puttingās good.ā He said, āI just canāt walk.ā And he says, āIf it helps where I can walk, Iām willing to do it.ā ā
Thatās about as good an explanation for why Woods agreed to go under the knife yet again as weāve heard to date.
āHe wouldnāt be having the operations if he wasnāt interested in wanting to continue to play,ā Nicklaus said. āHeās a very motivated and dedicated young man to continue to play the game of golf.ā
Nicklaus added of the 47-year-old golfer, whose body has been through the ringer: āThe dedicated young doesnāt last very long.ā
Annika Sorenstam, winner of 72 LPGA titles, walked away from the game on her own terms and has returned to play a handful of celebrity events, last yearās U.S. Womenās Open and the U.S. Senior Womenās Open, which she won in 2021. She has a keen eye for Woodsā plight.
āI can just see it from a fanās standpoint,ā Sorenstam said. āI think heās in more pain than he lets everybody know. I think itās a lot more serious. But he is so tough. And so courageous.ā
How long Woods will be sidelined this time is anyoneās guess, but his participation in this yearās remaining three majors ā the PGA Championship in May, U.S. Open in June and British Open in July ā seems unlikely.
āI think weād all like to see him play,ā Sorenstam said. āHe adds so much to the game every time he tees up. Whether he makes the cut or not, he adds to the tournament in so many ways.
āBut you donāt want to see anybody in pain. You donāt want to see anybody, theyāre hurting. Especially in his case. So hopefully this surgery will be the last of it. And will be good for him. Who knows.ā
At this stage, not even Woods knows whether Humpty Dumpty can be put back together again.
Tiger Woods underwent a procedure on his right foot and released a statement saying the surgery was successful, but it now casts serious doubt on his status for 2023. Will we see Woods make any more competitive starts this year?
Josh Berhow, managing editor (@Josh_Berhow): From everything Iāve read, it seems unlikely heāll be able to play any majors, and I donāt think he planned to play much beyond that anyway. Hereās hoping he can jump in a cart and play the PNC Championship with Charlie in December. Then, after that, maybe Riviera and the Masters. Baby steps.
Jack Hirsh, assistant editor (@JR_HIRSHey): Does the silly season count? Maybe, but thatās a big, all caps, italics and stars *MAYBE*. Who knows what heāll be able to do with the golf swing after this surgery, which involves fusing together a joint in the ankle. Iāve heard that if it was his left foot, the surgery would be career ending. If the issue remains walking, and his recovery goes as scheduled, it sounds like we could see him at the PNC and then maybe for the start of his virtual league with Rory McIlroy, the TGL. But I donāt think weāll hear from him at all again until the Hero World Challenge.
Josh Sens, senior writer (@JoshSens): Heāll absolutely be back for the PNC. Unless he isnāt. That old line about people planning and god laughing applies to any of us trying to forecast Tigerās health. Raise your hand if you saw plantar fasciitis coming? Neck. Back. Knee. Foot. Ankle. The only thing I think we can say for sure is that it wouldnāt be a shocker if some other body part gave out next.
Looking beyond this season, as Woodsā injuries and surgeries continue to stack up, at what point does he decide enough is enough? Are we approaching that?
Berhow: Based on his schedule prior to this setback ā the majors, maybe one or two more events ā heās really already in that second (or whatever number) stage of his career. I think heās still several years away from officially āretiring,ā since in a sport like golf ā and with his lifetime exemption ā he would be able to take advantage of a healthy stretch and enter an upcoming event or major to try and catch lightning in a bottle. I donāt think heās anywhere close to giving up on those potential healthy starts yet.
Hirsh: Iām with Berhow on this. Obviously, just being able to walk pain-free is first and foremost, but if thereās any chance he can continue to play at a high level, heās going to try. Whether thatās the right thing to do or not isnāt up to us to decide.
Sens: Agreed. Letās just hope it doesnāt become like the knight in Monty Python (Itās just a flesh wound!), where everyone knows itās over except the guy who wants to keep on fighting. This being Woods, and this being golf, which allows for more lives than any sport, Iām sure weāll be on Tiger-watch for a large handful of majors to come.
Lilia Vu beat Angel Yin in a playoff to win the Chevron Championship and claim the LPGAās first major of the season, which took place at The Club at Carlton Woods in The Woodlands, Texas, the first time since it began in 1972 it wasnāt held at Mission Hills following Chevronās new title sponsorship. What are your thoughts on Year 1 of the new host venue?
Berhow: As someone who is not always big on change, I liked a lot of what I saw. Sure, the leap into Poppieās Pond is no more and the alternative they cooked up on Sunday was fine, and word is the spectator shuttles took a little longer than desired, but itās hard to find negatives about a sponsor that wants to invest in the womenās game. If Iām Chevron, it makes sense to move this event to their backyard. Thatās their right. I also saw on Twitter there was a HBCU Career Panel taking place on site, and this was also the first time in this tournamentās history players who missed the cut received a $5,000 stipend. Weāll get used to the course in time, but seems like thereās lots of good to build on here.
Hirsh: While Iād love to see more events played at more interesting golf courses, Iām kind of indifferent on the venue change. I agree with Josh about it being great Chevron wanting to inject money into the LPGA, but it does suck it requires moving the event from where itās developed a history at. I also hope the alligator netting actually works!
Sens: This was a tough, long course, with small greens and all sorts of trouble, and I loved Vuās composure on it during what was a pretty packed race for a while. As for breaking with tradition, as my colleagues note, a small price in exchange for a solid sponsorship. Iām sure every player would take that guarantee over a jump into a pond.
John Daly, 56, and David Duval, 51, received sponsorās exemptions into the Zurich Classic and missed the cut at 14 over, which was 12 behind the next-worst score. While itās an eventās right to use its exemptions how it pleases, do you have an issue with this one in particular, given both players are well past their primes and rarely play competitively anymore?
Berhow: It really was a tough look when those guys struggled so much in alternate shot, but the truth is the majority of these pros make that format look so easily when itās in fact so incredibly hard. In a way inviting them did exactly what it was supposed to by drawing attention to an event that lacked star power, but itās unfortunate they didnāt play better.
Hirsh: Yes, this was a joke. It was likely born out of a necessity to help fill the field given the Zurichās place in the schedule, but there were guys on the alternate list ā while not the biggest names ā who could have used the opportunity. The tournament typically requires one member of each team to be exempt and then the second can be a sponsorās exemption. This was the case when 66-year-old Jay Haas made the cut while playing with son Bill last year. But Jay Haas is a PGA Tour Champions stud with 18 wins, albeit the last coming in 2016. Daly and Duval have combined for just one victory on the over-50 circuit.
Sens: Iām on the fence about this. I understand the obvious objections and the unlikelihood that Duval and Daly were going to be in the mix. But, as in Dumb and Dumber, even if the odds were a million to one, there was still a chance. Itās easy to knock the move in retrospect. But what if Duval and Daly had played out of their minds in the opening round and posted a decent score? Then the event would have had the best of both worlds: a crowd-pleasing pairing with an entertaining underdog story. And in the end, this is entertainment.
Speaking of the Zurich Classic, Davis Riley and Nick Hardy won, closing with a seven-under 65 in alternate shot on Sunday to best Canadians Adam Hadwin and Nick Taylor by two. But youāre in charge next year. What tweaks are you making to the event, either with how teams are picked, the formats played or both?
Berhow: Since itās a team event thatās not the Ryder Cup or Presidents Cup ā and honestly if we are inviting aging sponsorās exemptions ā we might as well embrace the weirdness and go all out. Fourballs is boring. Letās go four days, four formats. Make one day a scramble, but if you go three holes without a birdie you are eliminated. Make the next day a worst-ball scramble. Round 3 you get only four clubs. Then, for the final round, alternate shot. Wait a few years and this is the formula for a fifth major.
Hirsh: For starters, Iād move it to a different part of the schedule. Maybe toward the end of January or February so it doesnāt get swallowed by the Masters. I could also see an argument for the new Fall series, but I kinda like the idea of this event counting for the FedEx Cup. It really is great to see the unique format and Iād love to see it get some more big names regularly. Next Iād drop fourball. Make the whole thing alternate shot, the true team format that doesnāt allow you to hide a poorly performing partner. That would really make things interesting with the added bonus of speeding up play.
Sens: Iām with Jack: make it all alternate shot. On a more outlandish note, Iām still waiting for the team event where each team gets one opportunity during a round to pick a fan from the crowd to hit a shot for the opposition. I suppose youād have to institute a Really Silly Season for that to happen. But I would watch.
