Tiger Woods: I didn't know if I'd ever play golf again

Woods reveals true extent of his back troubles at this week's Wells Fargo on the PGA Tour. 

Andy Roberts's picture
Thu, 3 May 2018
Tiger Woods: I didn't know if I'd ever play golf again

 

Tiger Woods says he now has swing speeds he hasn't seen since his early 20s and admits he didn't know if he'd ever play golf again as recently as 2017...

During the Valspar Championship in March, Woods recorded the year’s fastest club head speed on Saturday at 129.2 mph, and he currently ranks third on Tour with a 121.9 mph average club head speed.

In 2013, when Woods was dealing with ongoing back issues, he ranked 28th with a 118.3 club head speed, while in ’08, the year he won his last major championship, he had a 124 mph average.

But then club head speed is far from the ultimate benchmark for success. A more objective way of estimating how the 24 year old would match up against the 42 year old could boil down to simple math.

RELATED: WOODS - I DIDN'T TOUCH A CLUB FOR 10 DAYS AFTER MASTERS

Tiger With a Twist — M3 and M4 Drivers.mp4

Lost in these comparisons, however, is what Woods now brings to the table. His short game has been vintage Tiger and his putting average (1.74) is statistically similar to 2013 (1.73).