Tiger Woods turns back the clock, toward a VCR for his new, old swing
After missing a season-ending cut at the PGA Championship, Tiger Woods had some time on his hands.
Between rehabilitating a re-tweaked back injury from the week prior at the WGC-Bridgestone Invitational to spending time playing soccer with his kids and in Vail with his girlfriend Lindsey Vonn, Woods did some soul-searching. He realized that the way forward, at almost 39 years old, was to go back.
So Woods dusted off old videotape of his golf swing from his pre-Butch Harmon days -- that is, before 1993 -- and used his mom's VCR to figure out what made that scrawny kid so long, so fast and so successful. What he arrived at is what the world will see in play on Thursday in the opening round of the Hero World Challenge, Woods' first competitive round since that Friday at Valhalla in August.
“It is new, but it is old," Woods said at Isleworth in Orlando, a one-off host to a tournament that will move to the Bahamas for three years starting in 2015.
Woods has spent the last month working with Dallas-based Chris Como, whose Masters study of biomechanics informs his swing philosophy. When the 36-year-old and Woods met at the behest of buddy Notah Begay III, Woods was surprised and excited by what Como had to say.
“I was very surprised and very excited with what he thought my swing should look like,” said Woods. “My ideas aligned with Chris'.”
That means no more loading on the left side, like he did with Sean Foley. That means less straightening of the left leg through the swing, a motion Woods alluded to as something he can no longer do physically. It also means a less vicious swing, but Woods has been pleased with the results.
Here's a look at Tiger's swing from the pre-Butch Harmon days:
Here's a look at Tiger's ultra-violent swing, circa 2000:
And here's a look at Tiger's Sean Foley swing:
“I don’t feel like I’m hitting it very hard. But it’s coming off the face faster," he said.
The decision to revert back to, as Woods said almost incessantly Tuesday, old motor patterns explains the Como moniker as "consultant." It's not Como's swing that Woods is implementing; it's his under the watchful eye of a guy who knows how the body should work.
However, that doesn't mean Woods won't face another injury, though he offered an emphatic "no" when asked if he played in fear of reinjuring his back. Four knee surgeries, a snapped Achilles and a back problem are all variables on how long Woods can hold up and how he'll feel coming down the stretch of any 72-hole tournament.
There's also the small matter of Woods' putting, which has been a skill on the decline for a handful of years now. Woods hasn't been in the top 20 in strokes gained putting since 2009, the year he last held a share of the 54-hole lead in a major. That world-beating stroke will be critical to this comeback bid.
Maybe that's why, unlike ahead of the PGA Championship when a hobbled Woods said his goal was still to win a 15th major, Woods downplayed expectations for this week against the 18-man field.
"Am I game ready?" Woods said. "Probably not as ready as I'd like to be. I haven't played a competitive round since August. But I'm looking forward to getting out there and competiing and playing under the gun."
Ryan Ballengee is a Yahoo Sports contributor. Find him on Facebook and Twitter.
