Page 40 - Golf World (February 2020)

He needs just one more win to
usurp Sam Snead as the PGA
Tour’s most successful golfer of
all-time and four more majors to
end the Tiger vs. Jack debate once
and for all, so 2020 is an exciting
year for Eldrick T. Woods. But it’s
also one that needs to be very
carefully managed.
A series of back surgeries and rehabilitative work
have, against all odds, enabled Tiger to win again, but
the fact remains that he’s a 44-year-old who has
undergone multiple back surgeries. As such, he played
just 13 events in 2019, around half as many as his peers,
and had to withdraw from the Northern Trust in
August due to injury. He played 19 events in 2018 and
said he was “mentally, physically and emotionally
exhausted” by the time he got to the Ryder Cup.
We wouldn’t be surprised to see him play a schedule
of 16-18 events in 2020, with a focus on being rested
but match ready for the majors, while playing as many
FedEx Cup points rich WGC events as possible.
Coming off December’s Hero World Challenge and
player-captain duties at the Presidents Cup, expect Tiger
to have a quiet start to 2020 as he recuperates ahead of
the meat of the season and four majors in the space of
three months.
He’s likely to play the Farmers Insurance Open in
January, and has already committed to February’s
Genesis Invitational – hardly a big surprise, given he’s
the host. He’ll probably play the WGC-Mexico, also in
February, and will play The Players in mid-March. Predicting where Tiger
might win next on tour is
He’ll likely follow that with the WGC-Dell Match Play tricky as his schedule
and then take two weeks off to get ready for his Masters remains uncertain, but
defence. There are four PGA Tour events between each he’s won the Arnold
major; expect Tiger to play one of them to stay match Palmer Invitational, the
sharp. Twice in 2019 he had a complete rest between WGC Invitational and the
majors. Twice it resulted in missed cuts. Farmers Insurance Open
He also wants to win one of the few things he hasn’t so often they pretty
– an Olympic medal – before it’s too late: “Making the much engrave his name
Olympic team is a big goal,” he said. “I don’t see myself on the trophy as soon as
having too many more opportunities. At the next he arrives. In terms of
adding to his 15 majors,
Olympic Games, I’ll be a 48-year-old. To be one of the the Masters and the
top Americans at that age is going to be tough. Open again remain
He’ll then reach the FedEx Cup Playoffs hoping he Tiger’s best hope. Both
has enough points on the board and juice in the tank to Augusta National and
mount a challenge. Royal St George’s will

40 Golf World February 2020 | golfworldtop100.com