2:38 | TOUR & NEWS
Why we just can't quit Tiger Woods
Michael Bamberger and Farrell Evans talk about Tiger Woods's impending return to golf, and why it might mean more to us than it does to him.
By Josh Berhow Sunday, December 03, 2017
NASSAU, Bahamas — Tiger Woods didn't win the Hero World Challenge, not even close, but he did blow away your expectations.

Admit it.

We all expected the lows, and most of them came during Saturday's three-over 75, but the highs? They were majestic, and plentiful. Thursday's 2-iron into 3, Friday's 3-wood into 9, Sunday's drive-and-putt on 4. Three rounds in the 60s — 69, 68, 68 — is nothing to scoff at, even at a course pro golfers are supposed to pick apart. Pro golfers with four back surgeries who have gone 10 months without a competitive start and played sparingly over the last three years aren't guaranteed anything.

No, Albany is no Oakmont. Woods's misses mostly found the sandy waste areas, not rough as thick as Tommy Fleetwood's hair. But since when does every test have to be hard? Plenty more grueling exams lie ahead.

And no matter the course, it was the same for everyone. Woods beat the Tour's Player of the Year, PGA champion and five-time winner in 2017 (Justin Thomas) by one, the No. 1 player in the world (Dustin Johnson) by eight, the 2016 British Open champion (Henrik Stenson) by nine and the 2017 U.S. Open winner (Brooks Koepka) by 11.

"This is the way I've been playing at home, and when I came out here and played I was playing very similar to this," Woods said. "Not quite hitting it as far, but I had the adrenaline going and overall I'm very pleased."

 It was an eventful four days for Tiger, who limited his mistakes and shot three rounds in the 60s. What's next? Who knows.
                   
It was an eventful four days for Tiger, who limited his mistakes and shot three rounds in the 60s. What's next? Who knows.

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Woods shaved four strokes off his Hero score from last year by eliminating the big numbers. Last year he made six double-bogeys; he made just one this week, and it came 64 holes into the tournament. He also had two eagles, or two more than last year.