Tiger Woods focus: Analysing his long-awaited return

Tiger Woods returned to competitive golf after a 15-month lay-off at the Hero World Challenge in the Bahamas.

The 14-time major winner made a superb start with four birdies in the opening eight holes to briefly give him a share of the lead, but Woods ultimately had to settle for a one-over-par 73.

Here is an analysis of the 40-year-old’s opening-round performance:

Mental strength

Having undergone two back operations since last playing — and three in total — and remembering all the setbacks of recent years, Woods was understandably nervous on the first tee. Observers even said he was trembling. He missed the first fairway but soon settled to play faultless golf over the opening eight holes.

Thereafter he got a little wayward. Putting his tee shot at the last into the water, after also having problems on the 16th, suggested a mental frailty. Yet there were other times when his nerve held up well and he will expect, with regular competition, to up his concentration levels.

Fitness

This was the key issue. The rust in other areas of his game can be worked on if he can stay fit. Woods looked lean and strong and showed no obvious signs of discomfort. There was evidence of swing modifications, presumably made in the hope of alleviating pressure on the back. It remains to be seen if they are successful, or how demanding a schedule Woods can place on himself if he intends to return to tour play full-time, but there were encouraging signs.

Off the tee

Even before his run of back injuries, Woods had become erratic with driver in hand and little seems to have changed on that front. Despite having to tweak his swing, Woods clearly does not want to temper his natural aggression. His tee shot at the ninth was costly, landing him in heavy rough and precipitating a bogey, and drives at the 16th and 18th were also wayward and damaging. Given his past success it is hard to argue with his approach but some will wonder if his game — and his back — may benefit from steadier play.

Short game

Watching Woods prior to his lay-off became tortuous as his fitness issues led to doubts over other parts of his game. His short game suffered especially badly.

Any mental demons in this area seemed to have been eradicated over the first eight holes, noticeably with excellent chip shots on third and fourth holes, but there was a duffed chip at the ninth and two overhit bunker shots on the 14th. He smiled at the latter two, suggesting his lies had not helped him, but he will hope these were isolated mistakes rather than indicators of anything serious.

Putting

The former world number one was not perfect on the greens, but his performance was encouraging. He did not hole anything from great distance but his stroke was firm and pace of shot good. Some opportunities in the 10-12ft range were taken and the body language was positive. The fist pump as he holed from off the green to salvage par at the 14th indicated the competitive fires still burn.

Overall

This was a mixed bag from Woods but after such a long absence perfection could not have been expected and there were clear positives to build on.

What did he say

“It was a solid start, I just made a few mistakes and things started going the wrong way. I let a good round slip away at the end.

“I had some awkward shots out there. If you are driving it well, you can tear this course apart. If not, you are in among bushes and rocks but, all in all, I feel pretty good. I am looking forward to another three days out here.

“I was pleased with how quickly I fell into the competitive flow of things, how I got used to the feel of the round. By the time I hit my tee shot on the 2nd, I was already in the flow of the round. To not play for 15 months and get that on the second hole was nice.”