Tiger Woods version 5.4 is stronger and fitter than ever and ready to take on the new generation at golf’s top table

There were two moments at Innisbrook, both on the 17th tee, which neatly captured the story of Tiger Woods’ weekend.

One came after he launched a stunning tee-shot, when he brought his club down to his hip and gave it a telling twirl – by the time the ball came to rest a few feet from the hole he was already striding up the fairway. The other came a few minutes earlier: the sight of a captivated crowd surrounding a portaloo, camera-phones poised, waiting for Woods to emerge from a comfort break. Woods is back in all his club-twirling glory and, for better or worse, so is Tigermania.

His performance over four days at the Valspar Championship, where he finished second behind the winner Paul Casey, gave golf a major jolt. The crowds swelled and the volume rose. An interminable chorus of ‘Get in the hole!’ followed him wherever he went. Television network NBC reported extraordinary numbers watching the third round of a regular PGA Tour event, on a day which generated an unprecedented 100,000 tweets. That is the impact of a whole genre of golf fan which only Tiger can entice.

He is 42 years old now, on about Woods version 5.4; there was precocious Woods, infallible Woods, post-knee operation Woods, post-marital-break-up Woods, and then the back surgery years – four operations since April 2014 and four separate comebacks. He best draws a crowd when he resembles something close to his limitless former self, and that was the case in Florida this weekend.

Of all the numbers and statistics which popped up, perhaps the most telling was his club head speed. His average of 122mph is the second highest on the PGA Tour, something unfathomable last year following an admission that he had been “living with pain”; evidently, he is no longer suffering. It is proof that this latest version of Woods is both powerful and flexible, and that the technical pieces that come together when he unfurls his swing are in perfect working order.

The possibilities are tantalising. Next week he goes to the Arnold Palmer Invitational as favourite to win the tournament. It is only seven weeks until the Masters at Augusta, four months until the Open at Carnoustie, six months until the Ryder Cup in Paris. That would be some sight: Jordan Spieth and Justin Thomas lining up alongside the rejuvenated Phil Mickelson and Tiger Woods, decked out in red and white, taking on Rory McIlroy, Sergio Garcia and the rest of Team Europe.

For Spieth’s generation, what a life-affirming time this could be. Woods was a player they grew up idolising, whose imperious best only exists in their memories and on YouTube. Suddenly they have the chance to play with and against a Woods resembling his peak – not a shoddy incarnation – as if he was cloned and preserved by design for future eras to enjoy.

open image in gallery

At Innisbrook, Woods was cautious not to get carried away, but he did acknowledge his own noticeable improvement. ”I keep getting just a little bit better,” he said on Sunday, reflecting on the four appearances so far since his latest return to the sport. ”I had a good chance at winning this tournament. A couple of putts here and there and it could have been a different story.”

It is nearly five years since Woods won a tournament, and a decade since he won a major. He will eventually win again – that was a nonsensical statement even four months ago, but the familiar twirl of the club and saunter up the fairway tells us it is no longer if, but when, where and how. Golf is captivated once more.