NASSAU, Bahamas — The sun was shining in the Bahamas, but Hero World Challenge host Tiger Woods arrived slightly under the weather.
During his press conference ahead of the event, Woods was coughing intermittently throughout. It was a lingering cold that he was still getting over. Maybe it was the temperature drop during the ensuing four-hole playoff of The Match on Friday, or perhaps it was just the thought of losing $9 million to Phil Mickelson that made him sick.
OK, that one’s probably a stretch.
Either way, it started when Woods talked about the weight that he tends to lose during competitive events — something that took a toll during his busy schedule last year. Regaining that weight he lost is something he’s made a priority during the offseason.
“My training sessions have been good. I’ve been getting a little bit stronger,” Woods said. “My core and my legs are definitely stronger than they have been, which is a positive. Now I get started working on my game and getting that organized heading into next year. Haven’t really spent a lot of time doing that. I’ve been working more on getting my body ready to handle the rigors of long practice sessions again and getting back to that.”
Encouraging words. Except that’s when he got sick, which put something of a wrench in his plans. He said he got sick sometime between “Friday night and Saturday.” He’s feeling better now and expects to be back to full fitness soon.
“I was [back to my full weight] until I got sick, and then I lost whatever I put on.”
Poor Tiger. Losing $9 million takes a toll, apparently.
