Tiger’s take: “To see J.T. make that putt, he’s screaming, but no one else is screaming. And then when Collin makes it, normally — he didn’t have that much of a reaction, but the whole hillside on 18 would have been just erupted. I’ve been there when they’re throwing drinks towards the greens and people screaming, high fiving, people running around, running through bunkers. That’s all gone. That’s our new reality that we’re facing.”
What he didn’t say: Just how much of a bummer it is to see that hillside empty by 18 green. Also, whether he’s a Mac or PC guy.
4. Working on his body
Woods didn’t look quite right at Riviera in February, but he claims the layoff was helpful in getting him back into proper physical form.
Tiger’s take: Well, physically I was very stiff at LA. I was not moving that well. Back was just not quite loose. It was cold. I wasn’t hitting the ball very far, wasn’t playing very well, and consequently I finished dead last. Fast forward five months later, I’ve been able to train a lot…I feel so much better than I did then. I’ve been able to train and concentrate on getting back up to speed and back up to tournament speed.”
What he didn’t say: Where that speed stacks up compared to the ridiculous distances guys like Bryson DeChambeau, Tony Finau and Cameron Champ are hitting the ball.
5. Playing tennis
We know Tiger and his son Charlie like to watch a good tennis match. We didn’t know how much they’d gotten to play — until now.
Tiger’s take: “Well, there’s a lot of things that I hadn’t done in a long time, and one was sport-wise and physically is that we were playing quite a bit of tennis. That was very different and something I hadn’t done in a very long period of time because I hadn’t been able to do it physically. The kids enjoyed it. We were able to do that in the backyard.”
What he didn’t say: Whether he’s getting his game ready to take on Rory McIlroy, who said upon his return to golf that he’d been spending more time on the courts than on the course.
6. Reading
That’s right, reading as in — actual books. While Woods didn’t say whether he’d checked out my colleague Michael Bamberger’s new book about him, he said he’d been spending plenty of time at home watching TV and flipping pages. This came as an answer to my question to Woods, which meant I was faced with a dilemma — with one follow-up question, should I ask about the books or the tennis game? I went books. Second-guess as you please.
Tiger’s take: “One of my favorite authors, Dean Koontz, California guy, horror novels. So I read a few of those.”
What he didn’t say: Which Koontz titles he’d been browsing.
7. Watching Bryson
We’ve all been doing this. It’s logical that Woods has been, too.
Tiger’s take: “What Bryson has done is no easy task. He’s got to put in the time and has put in the reps, and he’s figured it out. He’s gotten stronger, faster, bigger, and has created more speed. But more importantly, he’s hitting it further, but let’s look at the fact that he’s hitting it as straight as he is. That’s part of the most difficult thing to do. The further you hit it, the more the tangent goes more crooked, more along this line. So the fact that he’s figured that out and has been able to rein in the foul balls, to me, has been equally as impressive as his gains off the tee distance-wise.”
What he didn’t say: “I’m coming for him, though.”
8. Playing at Medalist.
Yeah, there has been some golf, too, at Woods’ home course in south Florida.
Tiger’s take: “We’ve been lucky enough to have had Medalist open at home for most of this quarantine period. So it’s been nice to get out on the golf course and be able to play and keep active that way.
“[Justin Thomas and I] play like this at home a lot, so it’s different being on the road, but we’ve played so many practice rounds together and have played so many rounds together in the last few years that it’s been — it was quite normal.”
What he didn’t say: Who’s been bringing home the bacon in these Thomas-Tiger showdowns.
9. Plotting his next victory
It’s logical to expect some rust from a guy whose last stroke play event came in February — where he finished dead last on the weekend. But that doesn’t mean Woods is cutting himself any slack. After all, his last tournament layoff preceded a victory at the Zozo Championship last fall. So could he win this week?
Tiger’s take: “That’s my intent. That’s my intent coming in here. That’s my intent going into every event…There’s no reason why I can’t do it again this week. I’ve just got to go out there and do my work and make that happen.”
What he didn’t say: “Y’all should know better than to ever count me out.”
