Ernie Els eager to see long-time rival Tiger Woods return to competition

If nothing else it means there are going to be changes. For the most part, the story will be on Woods. Some of those, of course, relate to his business affairs and his equipment.

As Tiger Woods is set to participate in the competitive golf at the Hero World Challenge in Bahama this week, he obtains a sponsorship from #Monster Energy, an energy drink company that will feature a logo on his bag, according to ESPN. How am I supposed to swing a club at 120 miles an hour?

Then there is his gear.

He’s now on the lookout for new clubs after his Nike contract was terminated. “The most important club in the bag is the ball”.

Jeter, the celebrated shortstop of the New York Yankees and a sure-fire Hall of Famer, has just started playing golf, but Woods says he jumped in head first.

When presented with that scenario, Woods said that was a positive day, but he still was a long way from where he needed to be.

While his ball choice has raised some eyebrows it shouldn’t.

What’s most encouraging about that is the inference that he is free from the various injuries which have threatened to prematurely end the career of the greatest player to ever have lifted a golf club.

Woods did not reference the TaylorMade metal woods in his news conference but he has been seen working with what appears to be an M2 driver and fairway metal. Further back surgeries occurred in September and October 2015.

That, alas, now seems a long time ago and please let’s remember that at the outset in terms of what we can expect to see from Tiger this week in respect of a performance. Between the 1999 US PGA and the 2001 Masters, Woods collected five of the six majors played. They sit next to each other. You have to want it nearly more than life itself. These putters are off limits.

Woods is also chasing Sam Snead’s record of 82 PGA Tour wins.

Henrik Stenson’s most recent form, after a couple of ordinary events following the Olympics, has been very good and as one of the game’s big movers in 2016 he must be considered as a great chance of challenging for this title and perhaps bettering his runner-up finish in the event in 2014, albeit ten shots behind the then rampant Jordan Spieth. It will join Nike, Hero, Kowa, Upper Deck and Rolex on Woods’ current roster of endorsements. When you were once as dominant as he was, it’s easy to see why you feel that anything is possible.

Woods tees off in the sixth of nine pairings at noon in Thursday’s opening round alongside fellow American Patrick Reed, ending the longest layoff of his career after 466 days. “It’s not the same”. Security and keeping Woods’s feet locked to the ground was the primary objective.

Woods recently re-branded his various businesses under the TGR banner, a move he describes on his website as “Chapter 2: my evolution as a competitor off the course”.

“I’m not dead. I’m ready to go, ” said former world number one who is ranked 879 after 15 months out. I felt like I was ready to compete. While he did not say he is on any kind of “ball count” related to practice, he acknowledged that he’s been warned by his medical team to learn the danger signs of overextending.

With his return to competitive golf after a 15-month absence looming this week at the Hero World Challenge, Woods was busy testing equipment – and looking pretty good doing so.