Golf great Tiger Woods is making a comeback with the Hero World Challenge this week and he is curious and excited to see how his ageing and injury battered body could tackle the task. The 15-time major winner will be teeing off for the first time since withdrawing from the Masters after the first two rounds in April. The 47-year-old, who has been playing professional golf for more than 25 years, still loves to compete and has arrived at Albany with an aim to win the tournament he hosts. Woods said at the event, “I love playing and miss being out here with the guys.” When asked if he can win again, Woods said, “absolutely.” He has chosen this tournament as his comeback event for the third time, considering it acts as a springboard for the following PGA Tour season. “I’m not concerned at all about walking it. As I said, I don’t have any of the ankle pain that I had with the hardware that’s been placed in my foot, that’s all gone,” Woods said. Woods was also expectedly asked about the proposed merger between PGA Tour and Saudi-backed Liv Golf. As a new member on the PGA Tour Policy Board, Woods’ opinion on the subject is of significance. “The guys, all the player directors have spent so many hours and worked tireless hours to make sure that we have the best deal for all the players that are involved, the entire PGA Tour,” said Woods, who was not pleased at all about the players not being consulted before the proposed merger announcement. Tennis superstar and his friend Rafael Nadal has visited the Albany Golf Course in the past to watch Woods play. Woods can only get an extra dose of motivation seeing his friend’s steely resolve. “Well, I think what Rafa, what he’s done is extraordinary. I mean, he won the Australian Open on a broken foot. The guy’s beyond tough and beyond competitive,” Woods said.
