Happier times: Tiger Woods talks with Pat Perez during a practice round prior to the start of 2010 Players Championship at TPC Sawgrass in Florida. (Photo by Richard Heathcote/Getty Images)

By Kent Gray
Pat Perez caused quite the hullabaloo when he was asked for an assessment of Tiger Woods’ game last February.

“He knows he can’t beat anybody,” was Perez’s soon infamous take of Tiger’s 77 and next day withdrawal from the 2017 Omega Dubai Desert Classic, a rant that would eventually see the American quit Twitter.

“He’s got this new corporation he started so he has to keep his name relevant to keep the corporation going. So he’s going to show up to a few events, he’s going to try to play…he’s going to show the Monster bag, he’s going to show the TaylorMade driver, he’s gonna get on TV. He’s got the Nike clothes, he’s gotta keep that stuff relevant.

“But the bottom line is he knows he can’t beat anybody. He knows it. He shot 77! That guy can’t shoot 77. What does he do the next day? ‘Aw my backs gone.’ He knows he can’t beat anybody!”

Fast-forward 11 months and Perez, the marquee invite to the 29th edition of the ‘Major of the Middle East’, was again pressed for his take on Woods’ comeback to the PGA Tour at this week’s Farmers Insurance Open at Torrey Pines.

Happier times: Tiger Woods talks with Pat Perez during a practice round prior to the start of 2010 Players Championship at TPC Sawgrass in Florida. (Photo by Richard Heathcote/Getty Images)

His response this time was atypically politically correct, perhaps as much to do with the fall-out last February as it is to do with genuine hope that Tiger is back after an encouraging comeback at his own Hero World Challenge before Christmas.

Indeed the mark two version of the Perez on Tiger was positively gushing (Perez did apologise to the 14-time major champion after the story blew up).

“He has the ball speed to win now,” said Perez.

“With that 180 ball speed, that’s incredible. You need that for that course [Torrey Pines] because those courses, they are both over 7400 yards now.

“But you know, I really don’t know. He has the ball speed. If he can get the driver in play, hit irons good like he has been. From what I’ve heard, seems to be in great shape. He’s hitting it great. It will come down to his short game and how much rust there is and this and that, I don’t know. I really don’t know.

“The one thing he does have is all the experience from playing there for ever and obviously won there a bunch of times.

“But we’ll see. I’m as anxious as anybody to see how he does and hopefully, you know, hopefully he’ll just come back and just kind of get rolling again and not have any problems and no more back, no more stuff, just kind of get back in the swing of things and play as long as he wants. That would be nice to see.”