Wounded Woods recovers, posts successful week

Tiger Woods returned to tournament golf last week with all sorts of uncertainties.

But after a week’s worth of fist-bumping children, fist-pumping the air and repairing himself after Sunday’s bizarre injury, he considered the Masters Tournament a success.

The four-time green jacket winner posted rounds of 73-69-68-73 for a tie for 17th place in his return after a two-month absence from golf after suffering injuries and short-game woes.

“It was mostly positives,” the 39-year-old Woods said. “Considering where I was at Torrey and Phoenix, to make the complete swing change and rectify all the faults and come here to a major championship and contend, I’m proud of that part of it. Just wish I could have made a few more timely putts and moved up that board.”

Midweek, Woods played in the Par-3 Contest for the first time since 2004. He strolled the course with his girlfriend, Lindsey Vonn, along with his daughter, Sam, and son, Charlie, as his caddies. On Twitter afterward, he said:

“I’ll always have memories of my pop at Augusta and now Sam & Charlie. An amazing day.”

In the tournament, Woods got off to a slow start Thursday but bounced back the next two rounds. After making a birdie putt at No. 13 in the third round, Woods unleashed one of his classic fist pumps.

In the final round, he struggled with his game and suffered a wrist injury when he hit a tree root hidden underneath the pine straw right of No. 9 fairway. He said afterward he repaired the injury on the course.

“A bone kind of popped out and the joint kind of went out of place, but I put it back in,” he said. “It hurt. It definitely hurt. I didn’t know there was a tree root there. I drove my hand or drove the club straight into it. It didn’t move. But my body kept moving. I told the guys in there that there was a little joint that popped out and I was able to somehow put it back in, which didn’t feel very good, but at least it got back in and I could move my hand again.”

His game was in disarray in the final round – well before the injury. He hit just two fairways, the first at No. 13. With the poor driving, he hit just seven greens in regulation. Still, he managed to post 73.

After his round, Woods didn’t say when he’d play again, but he left Augusta feeling better about his game.

“I have a little time off, and go back to the drawing board, work on it again, and refine what I’m doing,” he said. “I really like what I’m doing. I got my distance back, and everything is good.”