Tiger receives support from current and former players
Shortly after Tiger Woods announced he hoped to return to competitive golf next month at the Safeway Open in Napa, California, there was an outpouring of support from fellow and former players.
Tiger, whose last event was the 2015 Wyndham Championship where he tied for 10th, has been sidelined with back injuries and has undergone two surgeries and a follow-up procedure. His 79 PGA TOUR victories and 14 major titles rank second all-time to Sam Snead and Jack Nicklaus, respectively.
Here are some of the comments:
Jack Nicklaus: “It’s great to see you back and in good health. You’ve done so much for the game, and it’s better with you playing. Good luck!”
Rory McIlroy: “I miss the Tiger buzz. He brings an aura and atmosphere to the tournament that no one else can bring.”
Thomas Bjorn: “Great news for golf. The best of the best is ready to return to the game. It’s much more fun with him around.”
Jason Day: “It’s great. I’m looking forward to seeing him play again, seeing what the state of his game is. He’s done it the right way by waiting and not coming back too soon.”
Phil Mickelson: “I think it’s great. I’m looking forward to spending time with him at the Ryder Cup. The guy is arguably one of the two best players in history, if not the greatest.”
Graeme McDowell: “It can only say positive things about the sport. It’s great. No one moves the needle like Tiger Woods. He’s the only one who transcends the sport.”
Matt Kuchar: “We are certainly very excited to see him back. Players, fans, media, you name it. We are all excited and anxious to see how he does.”
Bubba Watson: “It’s really cool. We want him back. He changes the game. When legends of the game play it is a big deal. We saw how long Arnold Palmer and Jack Nicklaus played for, and Tiger obviously has a lot more to do and give in this game. He is still young when you look at it in terms of what other legends and great players have done. Firstly, it’s just great he’s healthy, and then it’s awesome he can play. It will be great to see him back out there.”
Johnny Miller: “You can’t count Tiger Woods out.”
In addition to the Safeway Open, Oct. 13-16, at Silverado Resort & Spa, Woods hopes to compete in the Turkish Airlines Open, Nov. 3-6, in Antalya, Turkey, and the Tiger Woods Foundation-run Hero World Challenge, Dec. 1-4, at Albany in the Bahamas.
Woods will also participate in the Tiger Woods Invitational presented by USLI, Oct. 10-11, on the Monterey Peninsula.
“I want to thank everyone for their well wishes and support,” Tiger said. “It could be a fun fall.”
