Tiger Woods bailed on the Safeway Open two months ago saying his game felt “vulnerable.”
That word, in particular, made many wonder if Woods would be ready for the Hero World Challenge this week in the Bahamas.
On Tuesday, Woods explained the reasons for not playing that event, and the reasons why his game is now in good enough shape to take on 17 of the best players in the world.
“One, the Ryder Cup helped a lot in the sense that I got a chance to be out there with the guys and see it and feel it and experience it,” he said. “Two, it hurt me by not being able to practice for a week.”
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Woods said that he could’ve played Safeway with limited go-to shots in his arsenal but it wasn’t worth the risk to do that on a golf course he hasn’t played since his college days, 20 years ago.
“As hard as it was on me to take it off and pull out of the event, it was a smart thing to do even though as a competitive athlete it killed me,” Woods said. “But if I’ve waited at the time, what, 13 months, what’s another couple more months? So let’s be a little patient, a little easier on myself, a little smarter and let’s come back when things are a little more together.”
Since then Woods has had more time to test new equipment and he’s worked diligently with caddie Joe LaCava to get into better shape needed to walk 72 holes in four days.
“We did it together, we did it as a team, and it was fun,” Woods said.
