All eight vice captains were present for their segment of the Presidents Cup presser yesterday, and the scribes came prepared. All told, they had to answer 19 queries, and they did so with candor. Of course, it bears noting that 13 of those were directed at Tiger Woods, with just three truly about latest staging of the biennial event at Liberty National. And of the other six, one was about him. Needless to say, he remains the focus of attention, notwithstanding his prolonged convalescence from an eighth surgical procedure and the bulk of his work for the upcoming weekend occurring outside the ropes.
For fans, the good news is that Woods鈥 health has progressed to the point where he can move without pain. 鈥淚 didn鈥檛 know if I was going to be here because I couldn鈥檛 ride in a cart. The bouncing hurt too much. Driving a car still hurt. So that鈥檚 all gone now, which is fantastic.鈥 The not-so-good news is that he continues to be restricted to activities that do not require full rotation. In golfing terms, he cannot yet go beyond putting and chipping; as he noted in a post on his Web site last week and reiterated yesterday, 60-yard shots are the most he can do until his doctors give him the green light.
That said, it鈥檚 clear that Woods has been working out. 鈥淪ix days a week,鈥 he blogged, 鈥渁lternating between the treadmill, bike riding, swimming, and lifting twice a day. My muscle tone is coming back, but I鈥檓 not in golf shape yet. That鈥檚 going to take time.鈥 And it showed yesterday, although he emphasized that 鈥渋t鈥檚 a process, and I鈥檓 in no hurry.鈥 More significantly, he allowed for the possibility that he will no longer be able to resume his career. Quizzed on whether he could 鈥渟ee a scenario where you could not come back to competitive golf,鈥 he stayed on point. 鈥淵eah. Definitely. I don鈥檛 know what the future holds for me.鈥
First things first, though, and Woods is evidently enjoying the opportunity to be where the action is, even if from the outside looking in. 鈥淚 had a great time [as a Ryder Cup assistant] last year, and having a blast this year. This is a great group of guys 鈥 and it鈥檚 a really fun time.鈥 And, make no mistake, his role is crucial; skipper Steve Stricker had charged him with overseeing the prep work of one of three player groupings composed of Jordan Spieth, Brooks Koepka, Daniel Berger, and Patrick Reed.
Woods being Woods, the objective is certainly to win. This weekend, he figures to claim success vicariously. In the foreseeable future, it goes without saying that he will want to do it himself.
Anthony L. Cuaycong has been writing Courtside since 大象传媒 introduced a Sports section in 1994. He is the Senior Vice-President and General Manager of Basic Energy Corp.
