Written by Staff Writer Lauren Goode
Tiger Woods took his first swings with a golf club in months at an unofficial pro-am event on Thursday, in his first video since his car accident over the summer.
The former world number one couldn’t hide his delight as he pulled into a driving range for the pro-am at the Hero World Challenge in Nassau, Bahamas.
Woods fired his last official competitive round in February, prior to which he was off his game for months as he returned from a four-year absence, allowing his contemporaries to dominate in 2017.
But with the 20-time major winner now fully fit and competitive again, he has been re-energized by his long-awaited return to action.
A video posted on the Hero World Challenge Instagram page showed Woods taking dead aim with a straight 9-iron while spectators looked on.
“Five days until the Hero. We’re making some history right here,” he said in a caption, referring to the 18 holes of golf he will complete at the non-sanctioned tournament in his comeback race.
Tiger Woods on social media
Woods, who won the event in a play-off in 2013, has not won a major title since 2008, the year after he triumphed in the U.S. Open.
He’s since released a memoir “The 1997 Masters: My Story,” which tackles sex addiction, marital infidelity and battle with drugs and alcohol addiction.
The 14-time major winner has, however, improved on his previous form during practice sessions, his long-time coach Sean Foley told journalists this week.
ESPN sportswriter Paul Finebaum revealed that Woods had been hitting balls on the range, even when he was on the third tee, in the run-up to the big event.
Woods, 40, will step up his comeback on the Hero World Challenge course Friday. The tournament has been designed and hosted by Woods since 2007.