Tiger Woods continues to do well on his comeback after a break of almost ten months. On the second day of the Hero World Challenge in Albany/Bahamas, which he organized himself, the 41-year-old played a 68 on the par-72 course and analysed his lap briefly and succinctly:”succeeding”.
With 137 strokes, Woods was fifth with three competitors.
“I could have done some birdies today. I’d be closer to the front. But I’m still on board,”said the 41-year-old Woods, who is now hoping for support for the weather:”Tomorrow it’s going to be windier. With a solid round, I can continue to work my way forward.”
Woods is five strokes behind front runner Charley Hoffman. His compatriot shone on Friday with a 63rd “Before the tournament I hoped that Tiger would win. That would be great for golf. Now I hope I can prevent his victory. But even if he’s in the race with a promising future, it’s good for our sport,”said Hoffman.
Woods, 14-time Major Champion, had been on his way out of the tournament in Dubai on 3 March due to a persistent backache. February no longer played on the tour. In April, he underwent a total of four operations on the damaged back for the fourth time.
In mid-October Woods returned to training. Meanwhile, the former world number one has dropped back to 1199th place in the ranking. In the Hero World Challenge, 18 pros will be competing alongside Woods, including world ranked leader Dustin Johnson, world rankings runner-up Jordan Spieth (both USA) and Olympic gold medallist Justin Rose (England).