Pro Golf Now
Fansided

Tiger Woods: Sponsors, Putting and World Rank on His Mind

By Kathlene Bissell

POTOMAC, MD - JUNE 27 : Tiger Woods hands his putter to his caddie Joe LaCava before teeing off on the sixth hole during the Pro-Am prior to the Quicken Loans National at TPC Potomac on June 27, 2018 in Potomac, Maryland. (Photo by Rob Carr/Getty Images)
POTOMAC, MD - JUNE 27 : Tiger Woods hands his putter to his caddie Joe LaCava before teeing off on the sixth hole during the Pro-Am prior to the Quicken Loans National at TPC Potomac on June 27, 2018 in Potomac, Maryland. (Photo by Rob Carr/Getty Images) /
facebooktwitterreddit

Tiger Woods has made a seemingly miraculous return to PGA TOUR competition this year. However, there’s still a lot on his plate, including the business end of golf, and getting his game right for the summer stretch.

When you’re Tiger Woods, life can get complicated.  One of the tournaments he hosts, the Quicken Loans National, is losing sponsorship because Quicken Loans is moving its sponsorship to a tournament in Detroit beginning 2019.  In addition, his putting hasn’t been good. And he’s not qualified, for the first time in forever, for the WGC Bridgestone, an event he has won eight times, most recently in 2013.

However, he has learned to appreciate a lot of things he used to take for granted.

“I will say that I am blessed, thankful, and it’s basically a gift to be able to play again,” he said at the outset of his press conference before the Quicken Loans National.

Last year at this time, he was not so certain he would be playing golf, period. He was not able to putt, much less try a full swing.

"“My back was not fused, and so there was no guarantee I would ever play golf, forget the PGA Tour,” he added. “So, to go from that to here, and I didn’t foresee that happening.”"

He noted that his clubhead speed was back up, and that he had actually been competitive this season, although not yet victorious. In fact, he’s now on to worrying about his putting, something he would not be thinking about if he were not able to take a rip with the rest of his clubs.

"“I’ve had to just log in time and putt for hours to try to figure it out,” he explained. “I had a run at The Players, but I made some putts that didn’t just quite feel right, but they were going in. But other than that, I’ve struggled. The West Coast and early Florida I putted well, but just haven’t done it the last four events.”"

He is trying a different putter, at least for practicing.  It’s called the Ardmore and is a mallet style.

"“You know, it’s just one of those things, once I start to get that ball rolling on my lines, then I’ll be back to putting like I was,” he believes. “And then on top of that, when they don’t roll on lines, then I have a hard time seeing my line, and it’s a vicious cycle and just trying to get out of that cycle.”"

He hasn’t yet committed to using the Ardmore during the tournament. It will be a last-minute decision, no doubt.

Can Tiger Woods regain enough ranking to make the WGC-Bridgestone field?

Regarding the WGC Bridgestone, Woods must get higher in the world rankings, to No. 50, to qualify.  Right now, he’s 82nd.

More from Pro Golf Now

"“It is one of my goals to get in there just because I’ve won it eight times,” he explained. “I love Firestone. It’s one of the classic golf courses. It’s right in front of you. There’s no tricks, it’s just right in front of you and it’s tough. We don’t get to play classic courses like that anymore and I’ve always enjoyed playing it, you can tell by the results I’ve had.”"

The problem is that he only has to be in the top 50 in the world to get in, and he has only two tournaments to qualify.  The Quicken Loans National and The Open Championship.  He does not, currently, intend to add any others to his schedule for 2019.

He said he would prefer to play there the last time the PGA Tour will have a tournament there, although he noted he might be able to play it as a PGA Tour Champions player.

“I know the Senior Tour’s going there, or Champions Tour is going there, so eight more years from now I’ll be able to get a start and I don’t want to wait that long,” he said.

Next: Tiger Woods needs confidence, not tech, to fix his putting

That is music to the ears of anyone involved with PGA Tour Champions.  It means, if he’s physically able to play, he will continue to into his 50s and beyond.  Is it too early to buy tickets?  Probably.

However, as far as the end of the PGA Tour season, Woods, right now, qualifies for the FedEx Playoffs, so after The Open Championship, if he does not qualify for Bridgestone, he will at least get to play in the first event of the Playoffs.   After that, it depends on his performance in the series.

Home/Tiger Woods News