Tiger Woods Finishes Tournament In Last Place, Calls It Progress
Professional golfer Tiger Woods ended the Hero World Challenge at Isleworth, Florida in last place, but claimed it was progress especially after his back surgery.
Despite ending up at last place 26 shots behind challenge winner Jordan Speith with rounds of 77-70-69-72, Woods was not looking at his game as a sign of defeat.
After his back surgery last Mar. 31, four months of not playing a game, Woods claimed he made some progress, being able to play without pain and finally able to go out on drives. He was also happy to note that his speed came back and how he was able to make farther shots.
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"I just obviously need to clean up my short game. That still needs a lot of work," he said. However, he added, "I hadn't felt healthy enough to be able to do that in a very long time."
There is also the fact that Woods was able to go back to his previous golf swing, reminiscent of the stance he took that won him major competitions from 1887 through 2008.
The return of his swing has been met by praises from players and analysts worldwide, such as Golf Channel analyst Brandel Chamblee and Wood's friend and fellow golfer Steve Stricker. With a more consistent swing, Woods will hopefully earn more consistent results and wins.
The former number one golfer also had nothing but praises for 21-year-old Spieth.
"He's playing some very special golf just now," Woods said, recalling how Spieth finished and won with a 63 at the Australian Open before flying to Florida to compete at the Hero World Challenge.
Woods also claimed that while his performance was "awful," he felt happy to be on course and said "it feels good actually to feel that rush again."
Woods has not yet decided on when or where he will compete once more, though he is likely to return in February to kick off his 2015 campaign.
