Comeback complete At the start of the year, 14-time Major winner Tiger Woods was ranked 656th in the world, following a fourth back surgery amid fears that he might never be able to compete on a golf course again. Fast-forward nine months and Woods has completed what will go down as one of the finest comeback seasons across sporting history. Now ranked 13th in the world, he topped off a remarkable year with his first victory since 2013 at the TOUR Championship, finishing second in the FedEx Cup and has once again shown that he may be the most talented golfer to ever play the game (we'll save that debate for another time). Particularly striking was the control Woods had over the whole tournament. Leading from start-to-finish, he never once looked as if he was going to lose his composure, sailing serenely through the final round whilst the likes of Justin Rose and Rory McIlroy crumbled under the pressure. The Big Cat is truly back. A gutsy birdie on the 72nd hole saw Justin Rose finish in T-4, which was good enough to see him crowned FedEx Cup champion, the first Englishman to do so, and in the process taking home a tidy sum of $10m (£7.6m). Not too shabby! The wait is over
Whilst another season on the PGA Tour has come to an end, there is still the small matter of the Ryder Cup to be settled. One of the questions which still remains on both sides is the nature of the pairings. Team Europe is made up of five Ryder Cup rookies, meaning that captain Thomas Bjorn will need to make sure he pairs some of them up with more experienced players. The likes of Tyrrell Hatton, who exudes self-confidence, may thrive in the cauldron of the Ryder Cup, but nothing is a certainty in this tournament. For Team USA, the issue of first-timers is less pronounced with only three rookies in the line-up; they include Justin Thomas, who already has a Major to his name, and Bryson DeChambeau, who has been in sparkling form of late. DeChambeau’s physics-orientated approach to the game may come under pressure from the home fans, so may need a veteran such as Phil Mickelson to guide him through his round. The first tee shot will be struck at 7:10am (GMT) this Friday, so make sure you set your alarm nice and early. For the first time ever, the world's top 10 will all be playing in the tournament, so it’s going to be a cracker. |