NASSAU, Bahamas -- True story: As I sat in front of a blinking cursor Tuesday morning, pondering the initial words of the column you're reading right now, Tiger Woods walked past, fresh off his first official news conference in nearly an entire year. He then wheeled around, stared at my laptop screen for a few seconds and, armed with a mischievous smile, implored, "Don't f--- it up."
No pressure or anything.
The reason for using this anecdote is neither gratuitous nor a timely humblebrag. No, it's to demonstrate that so far at this week's Hero World Challenge, in his third or fourth or fifth career comeback, depending on your count, Woods has appeared unconditionally relaxed. Actually, it's beyond that. He's seemed playful, candid, even happy.
Granted, that might be a byproduct of enjoying the warm breezes blowing off the Bahamian shore or the casual tone of an 18-man field or the simple fact that he's still two days away from hitting an actual shot that matters. But there are already hints that this return is different than the others.
Forget the golf. The reports of Woods' improved health and his booming drives will be uncovered during four rounds this week -- and truthfully, his impending future shouldn't draw immense optimism or pessimism based on what amounts to a rehab start at a late-season glorified hit-and-giggle. Those opinions should be better left for next year, when (or if) he's playing a full schedule.
Woods should be judged on matters beyond the scorecard this week. The main focus, of course, will be on his health; four rounds without wincing or limping would at least be a step in the right direction. But more than that, Woods should be evaluated by the ol' eyeball test. Perhaps it's a chicken-or-the-egg conundrum, but he's often been at his best when he's truly enjoying the game. Which is why when others aim their attention toward his swing or his back this week, I'll be watching for his smile.
In previous editions of Tiger's comeback tour, the game has appeared more of a chore than a passion. We've all heard the rumors -- that he was only competing again to appease sponsors or chase a long-hidden legacy. There were few allusions to him returning for the sheer love of the game. Not the love of competition or the love of success or the love of fame, but the love of the game.
Therein lies what could be the difference this time around.
"I miss playing golf for fun," he insisted. "Go out there and hit and giggle and play for some denominations and have a good time. I hadn't done that in two years. I'd play nine holes here and 18 holes there, and then I'd have to take three days off because my back was killing me. I hadn't been able to play fun golf like that with my friends in such a long time."
Consider it a potentially unyielding cycle: Woods is feeling better, so he's having fun; he's having fun, so he wants to play more; he wants to play more, so he starts playing better. It's easy to connect the dots here, but they all emanate from that initial starting point.
For those who believe that falling back in love with the game isn't enough to keep Woods motivated, there's more to the story. His daughter, Sam, was just turning a year old when he won his last major championship, while his son, Charlie, wasn't yet born.
He wants to prove that their old man isn't some old man they can only watch online.
"I never thought my kids have understood what I've been able to do in the game of golf, because they always think I'm the YouTube golfer," he said with a laugh. "Most of the stuff they've watched has been on highlight packages. They've never seen what I can do on a golf course. When I started coming back for this event, Sam wanted to go out on the golf course with me. She just thought it was so cool I was hitting it where she couldn't see it. She said, 'How do you see that golf ball?' I said, 'It's only going about 320,' just being a complete smartass about it. Charlie's the same; he wants to compete, he wants to play with me. Those are things that are special."
Happy, playful, motivated. In past comebacks, those probably weren't the first three adjectives use to describe Woods' demeanor. On those occasions, he was focused, determined, resolute. This one feels different.
For a guy who thought he might never be able to walk without pain again, let alone play golf on a competitive level, he's viewing this impending chapter as a new lease on life. This is the second (or third or fourth) chance that so many others never receive.
This is his opportunity to have fun again.