Tiger Woods partnered son Charlie to a runner-up finish at the PNC Championship, his first competitive appearance since February's serious car crash; Team Daly claim a two-shot victory in the 36-hole scramble
Monday 20 December 2021 08:20, UK
Tiger Woods insists that he is still not ready to make a return to PGA Tour golf in the near future, despite making an impressive comeback at the PNC Championship.
Woods showed glimpses of his past best during a runner-up finish alongside his son, Charlie, in Florida, where the pair made 11 consecutive birdies on their way to a final-round 57 in the 36-hole scramble event.
The former world No 1's appearance was his first competitive start since playing in the same event last year, having suffered career-threatening leg and ankle injuries in February, with Woods spending most of 2021 undergoing extensive rehabilitation.
Playing partner Matt Kuchar said post-round that Woods' swing and game was back ready for PGA Tour level, although the 15-time major champion - who used a cart to get around the Ritz-Carlton Golf Club - suggested otherwise.
"No, no, no, no," Woods said. "I totally disagree. I'm not at that level. I can't compete against these guys right now, no. It's going to take a lot of work to get to where I feel like I can compete at these guys and be at a high level.
"I think I had a better sense of my feel of what I could do, the shots I could hit. If you noticed out there, I didn't really play a whole lot of draws. If I did, they were all short irons.
"Most of them were just hot cuts or slappy cuts up there, you know, something out there. The hardest part for me was that - what I saw distance-wise and what I felt on my last look - I always play by my hands and my last look, it didn't match up a lot of times. I was short.
"Then a few times, I actually hit it solid and I smoked it over a couple of greens. You know, I've got some work ahead of me."
Tiger more than delivered in his highly-anticipated return to action, with Team Woods going bogey-free throughout the tournament, with the 45-year-old delighted to be able to tee it up in a tournament environment again.
"The competitive juices, they are never going to go away," Woods admitted. "This is my environment. This is what I've done my entire life. I'm just so thankful to be able to have this opportunity to do it again.
"Earlier this year was not a very good start to the year and it didn't look very good. To push as hard as we have the last seven months, taking no days off and just working our butts off each and every day, and to have this opportunity to be able to play with my son and to have these memories of our lifetime, for both of us, it's worth all the pain."
Team Woods went into the final round three strokes off the day but matched the lowest round on Sunday with an eagle and 13 birdies during an impressive display, only matched by eventual winners Team Daly.
"Yeah, we had a little run there," Woods added. "It was nice. When we played the turn, I told Charlie, I said we're going to have to at least birdie out, at least make eight out of the nine on the back nine, to have a chance. There were just too many groups that were either tied or ahead of us.
"We got on a nice heater and we made 11 in a row. On the last hole, we knew on the tee box that we needed three to probably get into a play-off or at least make it interesting for the Dalys' back there. Unfortunately, we didn't chip-in and we didn't make the putts, either. But it was fun.
"The goals this week, two things: One, to have fun; and two, no bogeys, and we accomplished both."
