"Put together a game from pretty much nothing" - When Tiger Woods got real about first season after fourth back surgery

Tiger Woods has seen both highs and lows of golf, from dominating the sport to enduring a series of career-threatening injuries. One of his most remarkable comebacks was in 2018 when he returned to the golf course after eight months.

The former World No.1 went through back surgery involving an Anterior Lumbar Interbody Fusion (ALIF) procedure in April 2017. A damaged disc was removed and adjacent bones were fused to strengthen the spine and ease pain.

Tiger Woods returned to the golf course in December 2017 with the Hero World Challenge. He then competed the whole 2018 season but couldn't win any tournaments. Ahead of the Tour Championship at East Lake Golf Club, he admitted that the results didn't match the dominance of his prime years but he was proud of what he had achieved. He said (via Yahoo Sports):

"In the 'W' category, it doesn't compare to some of the years that I've had, where I've won eight or nine times in a year. But to have come off the last few years of little activity and to have qualified for East Lake and to have been as consistent as I've been," Woods was quoted as saying by Yahoo Sports.

"I've put together a game from pretty much nothing ... that's something that I'm very proud of. I don't know if it's going to rank up there as one of my top seasons because I didn't win eight or nine times in a season - two to three majors in a year - but to accomplish what I've accomplished, to get back to this point, it's something I'm very proud of," he added.

Tiger Woods entered the 2018 Tour Championship positioned 20th in the FedEx Cup standings. He acknowledged that "something" has been missing in his game every week throughout his season like driving, irons, chipping, or putting. He also praised the young talent on the PGA Tour which had increased the difficulty of winning.

However, he was hopeful that his game would improve in 2019 and hoped to compete at the 2020 Tokyo Olympics. Woods went on to win the 2018 Tour Championship, securing his 80th PGA Tour title. He also won the Masters tournament in 2019. However, he couldn't compete at the Tokyo Olympics, as he went through another back surgery in January 2021 which hampered his ability.

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A look at Tiger Woods' performance in 2018

Tiger Woods' 2017-18 season is known for his comeback. Despite returning after a back surgery, he finished second in the FedEx Cup standings. He played in 18 tournaments and made 16 cuts. He had seven top-10 finishes and 12 top-25 finishes.

He won the Tour Championship by two strokes over Billy Horschel. His other notable finishes included a T2 at the Valspar Championship and a T6 at the Open Championship.

Let's take a look at Tiger Woods' performance in 2018 season:

• Hero World Challenge: T9
• Farmers Insurance Open: T23
• Genesis Open: Missed Cut
• The Honda Classic: 12
• Valspar Championship: T2
• Arnold Palmer Invitational: T5
• Masters Tournament: T32
• Wells Fargo Championship: T55
• The Players Championship: T11
• The Memorial Tournament: T23
• U.S. Open: Missed Cut
• Quicken Loans National: T4
• The Open: T6
• WGC-Bridgestone Invitational: T31
• PGA Championship: 2
• THE NORTHERN TRUST: T40
• Dell Technologies Championship: T24
• BMW Championship: T6
• Tour Championship: 1