Tiger Woods: Commitment to first two FedEx Cup Playoffs a positive sign
Tiger Woods has committed to the first two FedEx Cup Playoff events, THE NORTHERN TRUST and the BMW Championship. That’s a good sign for a worn down Big Cat.
Tiger Woods is heading back to action, and we won’t have to wait long to see him again. On Wednesday, the 15-time major champion officially committed to the first two legs of the FedEx Cup Playoffs, where he will play THE NORTHERN TRUST and the BMW Championship in back to back weeks.
That’s great news for golf fans who are desperate to see as much of Tiger as they possibly can this year. Woods has only played in consecutive tournaments once all year, when he finished T15 at the Genesis Open, then put together a T-10 run at the WGC Mexico Championship. He’s taken a handful of one-week breaks, but he’s also only played two “regular” PGA TOUR events all season.
That condensed schedule, of course, is the reason for the extended gaps in action, but this planning is also a positive sign for Tiger’s physical and mental readiness. The FedEx Cup shrunk the playoff schedule from four to three this year, but they also eliminated the “bye week” between the BMW and the TOUR Championship.
More from Pro Golf Now
- Golf Rumors: LIV set to sign Masters Champion in stunning deal
- Fantasy Golf: Grant Thornton Invitational DFS Player Selections
- Brutal return leaves Will Zalatoris looking towards 2024
- Stars You Know at World Champions Cup Starts Thursday at Concession
- Fantasy Golf: An Early Look at the 2024 Masters Tournament
While that doesn’t seem like a big deal at face value, it is when we’re talking about Tiger Woods, 2019 edition. In years past, he could have freely committed to two or even three initial FedEx Cup events, knowing that he’d have that guaranteed week off ahead of East Lake. Heck, he did just that last year, steadily improving on his way to a win at the TOUR Championship that almost won him the season-long FedEx Cup title.
The biggest change that Woods faces this year, though, isn’t from the Playoff schedule, but from his own. With so few starts under his belt – and with two missed cuts in major championships where he could have earned more points – he may actually need both weeks to ensure his place in the Playoff finale in three weeks. Currently, he’s 27th in the points race, which is not where you’d expect a major winner to be this late in the year, but that’s what can happen with just ten starts.
Considering that Tiger has spent the entire year making sure that he’s physically capable of putting his body through the necessary grind, I’m looking forward to seeing how he holds up over three straight weeks of potential action. He’ll also have a two-month vacation to look forward to before he plays in the ZOZO Championship in Japan in October, and another before the Hero World Challenge and the Presidents Cup in December.
Who are the next superstars on the PGA TOUR?. dark. Next
Who knows? Maybe this stretch of high(ish)-stakes golf will rejuvenate Woods ahead of the 2019-20 season, proving that he’s still capable of playing week to week without significant damage to either his back or his game. Either way, it’ll be an exciting several weeks to be an observer, especially if he makes yet another run towards the FedEx Cup.