Michael Reaves/Getty Images
Tiger Woods plays his shot from the fifth tee during the third round of the 2018 Farmers Insurance Open.

By Joel Beall
Though we are quick to scrutinise the results, Tiger Woods’ latest comeback is a process in discovery, trying to understand his limitations and comfortability following his fourth back surgery. Still in its fledgling stages, it’s hard to extrapolate much of merit, as he’s logged just six official rounds on the PGA Tour.

Conversely, driving accuracy has never been Tiger’s forte. An issue that’s been amplified in appearances at Torrey Pines and Riviera, as the 14-time major winner has hit just 35.71 percent (30/84) of fairways in return. Six rounds is not enough to count towards the tour’s official stats, but out of the 214 golfers who qualify, only Andrew Loupe (33.12 percent) has been worse in driving precision. In short, if Woods wants to stop battling the cutline, improved play off the tee is vital.

And it may be on the horizon this week at the Honda Classic, for a very simple reason: according to Woods, he only plans on hitting driver four or five times each day.

Though we are quick to scrutinize the results, Tiger Woods’ latest comeback is a process in discovery, trying to understand his limitations and comfortability following his fourth back surgery. Still in its fledgling stages, it’s hard to extrapolate much of merit, as he’s logged just six official rounds on the PGA Tour.

Conversely, driving accuracy has never been Tiger’s forte. An issue that’s been amplified in appearances at Torrey Pines and Riviera, as the 14-time major winner has hit just 35.71 percent (30/84) of fairways in return. Six rounds is not enough to count towards the tour’s official stats, but out of the 214 golfers who qualify, only Andrew Loupe (33.12 percent) has been worse in driving precision. In short, if Woods wants to stop battling the cutline, improved play off the tee is vital.

And it may be on the horizon this week at the Honda Classic, for a very simple reason: according to Woods, he only plans on hitting driver four or five times each day.

Related: Tiger named as vice-captain by Team USA Ryder Cup captain Furyk