sport news PGA Championship: Tiger Woods is back on the prowl, Jordan Spieth could ... trends now
Tiger Woods played nine holes at Southern Hills in the late afternoon shadows on Sunday and looked ready to contend this week for the 104th US PGA Championship in Tulsa, Oklahoma.
Bryson DeChambeau turned up on Monday, well ahead of schedule following his recent hand operation. And Jordan Spieth rolled into town, showing the form of a man who just might become only the second golfer since 1966 — no prizes for guessing the first — to complete the career Grand Slam.
Did somebody proclaim, ‘Thank God for the majors’? After all the Saudi rubbish and the threat of yet more inconsequential tournaments that can safely be filed under ‘who cares?’, at least we can rely on the four big ones to provide storylines that are genuinely intriguing, and golf that actually matters.
Tiger Woods played nine holes at Southern Hills on Sunday ahead of the PGA Championship
Bryson DeChambeau is also set to return this week following his recent hand operation
Following the considerable excitement of his Masters miracle, all eyes will be trained on Tiger once again on Thursday to see if he can move the needle from everyone being thrilled simply to see him upright with a golf club in his hand to being a contender once more.
Clearly stronger than at Augusta, Woods was making all the right noises after speaking briefly to half a dozen reporters on the ground.
‘The day after the Masters my right leg was terrible, I couldn’t do anything, but we went right back after it on Tuesday,’ he said. ‘It feels a lot better now and the more I use it the more strength it gains.’
The five-time champion revealed his right leg was 'terrible' after his Masters comeback
Woods had a playful gripe about the extra 500 yards the course has gained since he won at Southern Hills in 2007, when he shot 63 in the second round, his lowest score in a major. The 46-year-old then rather undermined any suggestion the extra length could be a problem by piping a drive down the second hole.
‘He’s swinging a lot freer than he was at Augusta,’ reported his loyal caddie, Joe LaCava. ‘Southern Hills is no picnic to walk around, but the fact it’s got nothing like the inclines at Augusta is going to help a lot.’
The return of DeChambeau so soon after all the problems with his left hand earlier in the year hardly registers on the Woods comeback scale, but his presence is welcome, nonetheless.
Let’s hope he’s also had that granite-sized chip on his shoulder removed that made him such a sullen participant at events earlier in the year.
Woods undermined any suggestion the extra length could be a problem at Southern Hills
DeChambeau has cut a somewhat sullen figure at tournaments earlier in the year
DeChambeau posted some video on social media showing him hitting drivers with a ball speed of 192mph, without any obvious discomfort.
