Tiger Woods looking to take inspiration from Roger Federer

Sergio Garcia led as Tiger Woods’ struggles continued at the Dubai Desert Classic on Thursday.

Thursday marked the second start in two weeks for Woods, who returned to competition last week at Torrey Pines after a long layoff to rehab his surgically repaired back only to miss the cut. Somebody dominating the game like Tiger did, and every time anybody went up against him, it was – you were bound to fall short and that week I didn’t.

“I am looking forward to it”, Woods said.

He said, “At the end I finally hit some good ones but the damage had already been done”. I’ve never been there, but I’ve watched so many golf videos and major videos that I probably know what I’m going to hit on each hole before I show up. “My mother called me about 2am, woke me up, and asked me how I was doing”, Woods said. “I’m trying to get back to even par, and once I get back to even par, try and get 1- or 2-under”. In fact, with poor weather coming in just ahead of his Friday afternoon tee time, Woods, as he has in the past, is welcoming the potentially lousy conditions as a way to get back in the mix.

“Over the course of my career, I have been less successful at winning golf tournaments than winning tournaments but the goal is to win and that doesn’t change”. Only 11 greens hit in regulation figures.

“The last two drives I hit off eight and nine today, there was something different”.

Right now, Woods game is not faltering on just one thing.

In his first five appearances in Dubai, Woods never finished outside the top five and lifted the trophy in 2006 and 2008. At one point Woods left a putt so woefully short of the hole, some reasoned he must have topped it.

Woods has not played in a tournament since August 2015 and throughout that year and a half, there have been many inklings as to if and when he would come back from a lingering back injury that has kept him sidelined.

Spain’s Garcia said his seven-under-par 65 was “a nice way to start; a good solid round”. Masters champion Danny Willett was also in the group and shot 71.

That took him to the turn at four-under and, while he dropped a shot on the inward half, will have been encouraged with his overall play. “Something, a little more weight, do something to try to get some of these putts to the hole”.

After commenting that Woods’ swing looks a lot “slower” and it lacks vitality, Chamblee went on to question whether such a swing really is good for Tiger’s body.