Power Rankings: PGA Championship

ALBANY, Bahamas – Not that long ago the only use of a golf club for Tiger Woods was as a crutch to get out of bed. Now the two-time FedExCup champion is confident his latest comeback will not be like the others because this time he’s pain free as he gears up to play at the Hero World Challenge at Albany in the Bahamas. Returning to competitive golf for the first time since February after spinal fusion surgery – the fourth back surgery since March 2014 – Woods believes this time is different. The 79-time PGA TOUR winner has played just 19 official events since 2014 and can’t confirm how many he may play in the future – but he’s excited none-the-less to test himself against the elite 18-man field. A year ago everyone left the Bahamas optimistic after Woods made as many birdies as winner Hideki Matsuyama (he finished 15th) only to see things fall apart in his next start at The Farmers Insurance Open. At Torrey Pines he was stiff and wooden on the way to missing the cut and then withdrew from the Dubai Desert Classic the following week before going in for surgery. “This is very different because last year I was still struggling with a little bit of pain and I was able to hit some good shots, able to play, but in looking back on it now, I look on it as playing in slow mo,â€� Woods said Tuesday. “I didn’t realize how bad my back had become and how much I was flinching and just how slow I was. I didn’t realize it because it’s been a slow degrading process. “I thought I had some speed, thought I was playing halfway decent, shot some good scores, but now I’ve looked back on it and man, I didn’t even have much at all.â€� Woods says now the only issue he has is the odd bit of stiffness but given his back is fused that is no surprise. He’s “winging itâ€� as he learns just how hard he can swing and just what recovery he will need after competitive rounds and tournaments. Most people have the fusion surgery in their late 50’s. Woods is 41. “I’ll have a better understanding once I’m in game speed. I know I’ve always hit it harder come game time because of adrenaline and I’m looking forward to it and I’m also looking forward to see how I feel,â€� he says. The famous Woods smile was back as he thought about the possibility of competing with the new breed on TOUR. His last win came in 2013 when the likes of Jordan Spieth and Justin Thomas were not really on the radar. Now they have joined him as major winners and FedExCup champs. Last year the under 25 brigade dominated the TOUR. They mostly know Woods via what they watched on television growing up plus clips from YouTube and video games, not the heat of battle. “In an ideal world, I would like to have them feel what some of my past guys had to go against all those years. I’d like to have them feel that same play,â€� Woods smiled. “When I turned pro, I think Jordan was still in diapers, right. “But I’m just looking forward to getting through these four rounds and having an understanding, a better understanding of where I’m at. I don’t know where I’m at. I don’t know how hard I can hit it, what shots can I play. “I don’t know what the future entails in that regard because I’m still learning this body. I just really want to be able to complete this week, play all four days and give myself a chance on that back nine on Sunday to win this thing.â€� Just what Woods will be able to achieve over the next few years is yet to be seen. He clearly is on the back nine of his career. But anything of note from this point on should be seen as gravy on a legendary career. “This surgery was about quality of life because I didn’t really have much. I’ve been in bed for about two years and people ask me, why don’t you go out to dinner? I can’t, I can’t sit,â€� the 14-time major winner revealed. “So to be able to have the ability to go out and do things like that, and on top of that to be able to participate in my kids’ sports again… I’ve missed it.â€� With his daughter Sam, now 10, and son Charlie, now eight, Woods is also driven by the fact they’ve not seen him at his best. He would like for them to know their dad outside of the YouTube realm. And while they won’t be in Albany this week… if things go well there might come a day where a young Woods gets to carry the bag for dad somewhere, perhaps Augusta National like Jack Nicklaus’ son famously did for the 1986 victory. “I want them to see what I’ve been able to do my entire career. I’ve been fortunate enough to play tournament golf for 37 years and I want them to experience some of that, have a better understanding of it,â€� he said. “I don’t know how long I’m going to be playing but I want them to come to a few events, I want them to feel it, I want them to understand it a little bit more.â€� Not that long ago it appeared this day might never come again. It appeared it could all be over. But despite some really rough days Woods always thought he would be back. “I always thought that I was tough mentally,â€� Woods said. “My dad always thought so as well. Going through all this just reaffirmed that.â€�

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Augusta National played as it easy as it ever has. Will it continue? Can Paul Casey end his major drought? A look ahead to what will be a long Day 2 at the Masters.

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