“He’s just a freak athlete” - Scottie Scheffler on Tiger Woods' comeback at the 2023 Hero World Challenge

Scottie Scheffler is happy with Tiger Woods’ return. The World No.1 golfer lauded the ace golfer and dubbed him a “freak athlete” for his impressive comeback at the 2023 Hero World Challenge.

Scheffler joined a long list of players excited to see Woods back on the course. The 2022 Masters champion said that Woods’ return from long stints of injuries is “pretty miraculous.” The 27-year-old even compared the PGA Tour star with legendary Jack Nicklaus and said that Woods takes the throne as the best.

Commenting on Tiger Woods' comeback at the 2023 Hero World Challenge press conference, Scottie Scheffler said:

“I love seeing him hit balls and hearing that sound. He’s still got the same sound, which is amazing. I feel rusty coming off two months without a tournament. He goes almost a year at a time, and he comes back and plays good golf. For him to be able to do it like this for so many years is pretty miraculous.

"He’s just a freak athlete. I never got to see (Jack) Nicklaus up close, but in my head, Tiger is the best to ever play the game. The way he wins at such a high clip for so many years is pretty insane.”

Notably, Tiger Woods made a strong comeback on Thursday. The ace golfer showed glimpses of brilliance in the first round of the Hero World Challenge as he made some near-perfect drives and improbable putts.

The superstar golfer even holed a 48-foot birdie putt, leaving fans and other players in awe. Woods’ 3-over first round of 75 showcased his intent to fight despite his rusty form.

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Scottie Scheffler is ‘extremely grateful’ for Tiger Woods’ role in the PGA Tour

Scheffler also lauded Woods for his role in the business side of the PGA Tour as well.

Opening up on Woods’ contribution to the game, Scottie said he was “extremely grateful” for what his circuit senior was doing. He also noted that the 47-year-old’s “voice holds a lot of weight” and was using the same keeping the players’ “best interest in mind”:

“He (Tiger Woods) could easily sail off into the sunset never touch a club again, never do anything again just go live his life and enjoy kind of the second half of his life and do whatever hang out with his kids, but he continues to come back and want to compete.

"And he continues to do what's best for the players, the PGA tour and that's pretty inspirational for the rest of us."

It's pertinent to note that Scheffler is a close friend of Woods’. The two Masters champions have shared multiple good moments in the past. It will be interesting to see if the duo goes up against each other this weekend in the Bahamas.