Golf legend Tiger Woods was spotted at the Liberty National Golf Club on Tuesday, September 12th, practicing one-handed chipping. This was one of his first appearances since undergoing subtalar fusion surgery in April.
Woods was last seen playing competitive golf at the Masters in April but couldn't complete all the rounds as he withdrew ahead of Sunday, citing his knee struggles. The 47-year-old golfer has been in and out of action since suffering a very bad accident in 2020.
The 15-time major champion was present at the Liberty National for the Nexus Open, his foundation's annual event. NUCLR Golf shared a clip, initially posted by Justin Tupper on Instagram, in which he could be seen practicing a few single-handed chip shots.
Tiger was wearing shorts, but his injured right knee was covered by a compression stocking. The golfer didn't take any full swings but played a couple of short-game shots.
Rickie Fowler and Will Zalatoris were also present at Liberty National for the Nexus Cup. Fowler was last seen at the Tour Championship and will be in action at the Ryder Cup later this month.
Similarly, like Woods, Zalatoris hasn't played on the PGA Tour since April. He was last seen at the World Golf Championships-Dell Technologies Match Play and had to withdraw from the Masters before finishing any rounds. For the uninitiated, he underwent back surgery for a herniated disc last August.
The video has given hope to fans who are eagerly awaiting Woods' return to the golf course. Earlier this year, he stated that he would only participate in the four majors and a couple of other events moving forward to manage his body.
Woods last won in 2019 at the Zozo Championship, and his last major win came in the same year when he clinched his fifth Masters. He is eyeing Jack Nicklaus, who is still three major titles ahead of the 47-year-old American. If Woods can return next year fully fit, one can never dismiss his chances of breaking that record.
How has Tiger Woods performed in the Ryder Cup?
The 82-time PGA Tour winner is not competing at this year's Ryder Cup but has been part of the event several times in his long career. However, his Ryder Cup record isn't great, contrary to his illustrious golf career.
Tiger Woods has participated in eight Ryder Cups (1997, 1999, 2002, 2004, 2006, 2010, 2012, and 2018) and has competed in 37 matches across the tournaments. He has a negative record of 13-21-3 (wins, losses, and halves).
2010 was Woods' best Ryder Cup statistically, as he won three matches and lost just one. He last competed at the Ryder Cup in 2018 and lost all four matches he played.
Here's a look at Tiger Woods' performance in the Ryder Cup over the years (W-L-T):
- 1997: 1–3–1
- 1999: 2–3
- 2002: 2–2-1
- 2004: 2–3
- 2006: 3-2
- 2010: 3–1
- 2012: 0–3-1
- 2018: 0–4