Has Tiger Woods changed his stripes?
Kinder, gentler Woods shows up before Masters, but he still believes he has the 'right game' to win
Tiger Woods faced the world's press on Tuesday and made quite an impression. "He's funny. He's kind. He's even a little bit humble," wrote a bemused USA Today, while The Guardian was similarly surprised by the new-look Tiger, commenting that this was "the most relaxed" they could recall seeing the 39-year-old on the eve of a Major.
As if any further proof were needed that Tiger appears to have changed his stripes it came with confirmation that he will spend Wednesday playing in Augusta's Par 3 Contest, described as the "light-hearted preamble to the Masters in which wives and children and friends and brothers carry players' bags".
It's 11 years since Woods last deigned to take part in the knockabout tournament and so it will be the first time his two children, Sam, 8, and Charlie, 6, will walk the Augusta course with their old man. "It's special," he said. "It's nice to be able to share these things with my family and it just means the world to me. They are excited, I'm excited and can't wait to go out there."
Subscribe to The Week
Escape your echo chamber. Get the facts behind the news, plus analysis from multiple perspectives.
Sign up for The Week's Free Newsletters
From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.
From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.
Not that Woods is in Augusta for the fun of it. Beneath the sunny exterior the steely core that won him 14 Majors before the age of 32 remains, as he showed when asked was his objective was in Augusta. "Winning," he replied, smiling. "I quite like it."
In truth Woods will tee off tomorrow with little of the customary expectation that accompanies him to every tournament. The golfing world is pleased to have him back after his two-month break from the game, but no one expects him to seriously challenge the tournament favourite, Rory McIlory. Without the pressure might Woods finally perform like the Tiger of old?
It's seven years since he last won a Major but Woods seems to be more at ease now than he has for a long while, telling reporters the reason why: "I worked my ass off," he said. "That's the easiest way to kind of describe it. I worked hard… People would never understand how much work I put into it to come back and do this again."
Woods took what he described as an 'indefinite break' from golf in February after shooting a career-worst 82 at the Phoenix Open. He subsequently dropped to 111th in the world rankings (his lowest ranking since 1996) and on Tuesday he explained what had gone wrong. "Earlier in the year, I was caught right between two [swing] release patterns," he said. "I had to get rid of that and make sure I had one release pattern in me. It took a while. It took a lot of hard work. I finally got to the point where I feel I can do it now."
So after all the work on the comeback trail, a reporter enquired, what would victory this week at Augusta represent? Woods replied cheerily: "It would be my 15th major. We have a long way to go before that. We have a lot of work."
Sign up for Today's Best Articles in your inbox
A free daily email with the biggest news stories of the day – and the best features from TheWeek.com
-
The Onion is having a very ironic laugh with Infowars
The Explainer The satirical newspaper is purchasing the controversial website out of bankruptcy
By Justin Klawans, The Week US Published
-
'Rahmbo, back from Japan, will be looking for a job? Really?'
Instant Opinion Opinion, comment and editorials of the day
By Justin Klawans, The Week US Published
-
What's next for electric vehicles under Trump?
Today's Big Question And what does that mean for Tesla's Elon Musk?
By Joel Mathis, The Week US Published
-
Premier League 2020-21 predictions and odds: champions, top four, relegation
The Week Recommends A look at what the football media has to say ahead of the new season
By Mike Starling Published
-
Paris Saint-Germain vs. Bayern Munich: Alphonso Davies expects a ‘goalfest’
The Week Recommends Key talking points ahead of the Champions League final
By Mike Starling Published
-
Man City’s ‘World Cup’: Pep Guardiola’s team bid for Champions League glory
The Week Recommends Sky Blues prepare for a potential three knockout games in eight days in Portugal
By Mike Starling Published
-
On the prowl for No.16: Tiger Woods is geared up for PGA Championship challenge
The Week Recommends First major of the year will be held behind closed doors at TPC Harding Park
By The Week Staff Published
-
The Players: a big opportunity awaits defending champion Rory McIlroy
The Week Recommends World No.1 golfer aims to become the first back-to-back winner of the PGA Tour’s flagship event
By The Week Staff Published
-
F1 Australian GP finally cancelled after McLaren withdraw
The Week Recommends McLaren team member tests positive for coronavirus
By The Week Staff Last updated
-
Premier League: Man United maintain superiority over City
The Week Recommends Ole Gunnar Solksjaer's side have beaten City three times this season, and result leaves Liverpool close to title
By The Week Staff Published
-
Champions League last-16 predictions: will ties go ahead and who will qualify?
The Week Recommends Liverpool, Tottenham and Chelsea all require comebacks in the second legs
By The Week Staff Last updated