Tiger Woods said he is optimistic as he starts an uncertain comeback, the latest after a string of injuries and an embarrassing impaired driving incident earlier this year.
Woods will tee off Thursday in the opening round of the Hero World Challenge in the Bahamas. It will be his first golfing event in nine months following the fourth back surgery of his career, noted Golf Digest.
Woods admitted that he does not know what to expect Thursday as he takes the course, despite looking good during practice rounds, Forbes reported.
"I'll have a better understanding once I'm in game speed," Woods said at an earlier news conference, according to Forbes. "I know I've always hit it harder come game time because of adrenaline and I'm looking forward to it and I'm also looking forward to see how I feel."
Woods tried to kick start his career at the Hero World Challenge last year, which he hosts, but the comeback effort ended early this year when he withdrew from the Dubai Desert Classic to undergo his latest back surgery, noted PGA Tour.com.
Woods, who has not won a major since the 2008 U.S. Open, noted Forbes, took a hit to his image as well as his golf game over the same period. His marriage unraveled in 2009 in the middle of the cheating scandal that played out on tabloid front covers across the nation.
The latest hit came this year when he was found asleep along a freeway in May behind the wheel of his Mercedes-Benz and arrested for driving under the influence, according to Reuters. Woods, who said he had an adverse reaction to pain medications he was taking after back surgery, entered a program for first-time offenders and pleaded guilty to reckless driving in a plea deal, the news agency said.
Jordan Spieth, currently ranked the No. 2 golfer in the world, said Woods seems more sure of himself, Golf Digest reported.
"He seems more confident this year the way he's walking and talking," Spieth said, per Golf Digest. "He seemed more excited at the Presidents Cup before he was even swinging, more anxious, and it seemed to really bother him that he was following doctor’s orders, like he really wanted to get going.
"So once he was given the go, I think it was exciting for him. We're all very interested, as we should be, in how it goes for him this week, and obviously hoping that's the start," Spieth continued.
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