Has Tiger Woods Lost His Competitive Edge?

Tiger Woods has probably lost his competitive age after so many injuries. The big cat has won 82 PGA titles and 15 majors in his career, yet as the crowd gathered around him at Riviera, he seemed nervous. 

Woods was coming back to professional golf on the PGA Tour after he withdrew from the Masters Tournament last April. Although he started the first round with a birdie, it followed plenty of bogeys throughout the day. Then, Woods finally went on to admit that he was nervous. 

Tiger Woods Shares His Nervousness With The Media 

Woods joined an interview post-round and shared his experience:

“Definitely nervous…I care about how I play, and certainly I was feeling the nerves starting out.”

After his nerves subsided, he was shedding off the rust at Genesis that had accumulated in his period of rehabilitation. 

“A lot of good and a lot of indifferent” said Woods, who returned to his home soil and secured one-over 72, which is 7 shots behind Patrick Cantlay. Woods thinks his preparation might be lacking. 

“I think sharpness…Making adjustments on the fly … and the feel for a round and how to make those adjustments. When we were playing here, I was getting better each and every day. But then again, I haven’t played in a while again. That’s kind of the frustrating part of it.”

With that, Woods made only seven pars and bogeyed the hole at the 18th. Moreover, the 15-time major winner stated that back spasms were the reason behind such a bad swing. But Woods plans on healing and working out more.

“I’m going to be rusty and I have to do a better job at home prepping. We need to do a better job with lifting and treating and continuation of rehab protocols, all those things.”

Thus, it is to see if Woods can bring back the competitive edge that he had while teeing it up for the first time at Riviera. The Friday round is a second chance for the golfer and if he makes the best of it, he can definitely make a comeback. 

About the author

Suchita Chakraborty

Suchita Chakraborty is a senior golf writer at The SportsRush. She did her post-graduation at St. Xavier's University. For a year now, she has developed a riveting inclination toward golf, with Tiger Woods and Rory McIlroy being her top-tier motivational figures to indulge in the sport. She even lives by the words of the Hall of Famer, "You can always become better", which impels her to excel every day. Her strong suit in golf is covering the LPGA Tour, especially the nooks and crannies of the international event, the Solheim Cup. As a pastime amusement, Suchita also engages herself in reading about golf controversies. Her favorite pick is ‘LIV and Let Die’ by Alan Shipnuck, which covers the PGA-LIV beef.

Read More