The Tiger Beat

For some reason, the Quicken Loans National Pro-Am has generated more coverage than typical for your run-of-the-mill Wednesday on Tour.  Must be the excitement of teeing it up with payday lending officers...

Barry Svrluga (Vanna, I'd like to buy a vowel) tees it up in the WaPo:

Tiger Woods’s first shot in public in more than three-and-a-half months came at 6:30 a.m.

Wednesday morning, and it was a dud – a 4-iron that drifted into a bank at Congressional Country Club’s 10th hole, then trickled into the pond below. 

But nearly five hours later, Woods – who will Thursday make the Quicken Loans National his first tournament since he underwent back surgery – was more upbeat. His game is not tight, but his back feels fine. 

“I hit some loose shots today,” Woods said after he completed 18 holes in a pre-tournament pro-am. “I also hit some really good ones. Back feels good, which is nice, which is a really good sign.”

I know Tiger likes to get out there early, but do they really start Pro-Ams at 6:30 a.m.?  However, you'll no doubt be glad to see that his on-course behavior remains intact:

He did, though, show frustration when shots went astray. After an errant tee shot at No. 8 – his 17th hole of the day – Woods grimaced and thumped his clubhead into the ground. But he said that even with Congressional’s thick rough, he didn't have a problem aggressively attacking shots that didn't find the fairway. 

“I went for it today, just to test it and make sure,” Woods said, “and made some pretty good ones, too.”

No mention of his vocabulary, though....Jaime Diaz, offers this note of caution for those awaiting the return of the Messiah:

Woods is 38, six years removed from his last major victory, and coming off back surgery to relieve a pinched nerve. Even if he were to again climb to No. 1, it wouldn't be with the breathtaking power that marked his prime but with a more professional precision. With much less margin for error, some skeptics -- who also wonder if his appearance at Congressional is really about being a tournament host needing to appease a new sponsor -- question whether Woods has the energy needed to assault the mountain yet again. 

All legitimate points. But another that is rarely mentioned -- and could negate them all -- is the state of Woods' most important asset: his mind. No doubt it was in a jumble post-scandal, and my own theory is that Tiger's refusal to depart from the worn-out litany of "reps," "feels" and other jargon when he deigns to discuss his game is designed to avoid addressing the real issue: what's going on between his ears. As a result, a bunch of baggage -- some of it very heavy -- has lingered.

 And for those who simply can't wait for the afternoon Golf Channel coverage, Tiger is now on the golf course, playing with Jason Day and Jordan Spieth, and Golf.com is providing a live blog of his play here, according to which our long national nightmare is over.