“What drives me is I love to compete,” said Tiger Woods (age 48), who will return to play seven months after the Masters in April.
“There will come a point in time, I haven’t come around to it fully yet, that I won’t be able to win again. When that day comes,” Woods said in a press conference in Albany, the Bahamas, ahead of the Hero World Challenge hosted by his foundation on Wednesday.
The competition, which invites global top 20 ranking golfers by the Tiger Woods Foundation, will be held for four days with prize money of 4.5 million dollars. Woods will begin the first round with Justin Thomas at 1:52 a.m. on Friday. Woods, who has 82 wins on the PGA Tour, including 15 wins at major competitions, has suffered multiple injuries and comebacks. “I’m excited to compete and play and I’m just as curious as all of you are to see what happens because I haven’t done it in a while,” said Woods, who often used the tournament as a comeback. “This week will be a big step that determines where my golf is headed."
After the tournament, Woods will participate with his son Charlie in the PNC Championship scheduled on Dec. 16-17.
Heon-Jae Lee uni@donga.com