Tiger Woods won his record-equalling 82nd PGA Tour title at the 2019 Zozo Championship; Woods missing from this week’s field as he continues to recover from injury
When Tiger Woods stepped onto the fourth tee during the opening round of the 2019 Zozo Championship, there was little indication of the history-making week ahead of him
The former world No 1 was returning to action for the first time since knee surgery earlier in the summer, having completed only 17 competitive rounds in the months following his remarkable success at The Masters.
Woods made a nightmare start to his latest comeback from injury at Accordia Golf Narashino Country Club in Japan, bogeying each of his opening three holes, although responded in style to claim a three-stroke victory and record-equalling 82nd PGA Tour title
Five years on from that victory – the PGA Tour stars in this week’s field reflect on Woods’ most recent worldwide success and look at what the future could hold for the 15-time major champion
The 2019 edition was the first time that Japan hosted an official PGA Tour event, with over 20,000 fans attending the opening round and large crowds – aside from the Saturday, when spectators were unable to attend due to safety concerns – were present throughout the tournament
The first day we stepped out here, the fans that lined the range and the first hole, I’ve never seen anything like it,” Collin Morikawa said. “Not only was it for Tiger, but it was for all of us.”
Xander Schauffele added: “I sat on the first tee with and Rory [McIlroy] and I couldn’t believe how many people were just on the property
“There’s some very big names here that pull a really big crowd, but Tiger seems to always move the needle the most. It felt like a major almost just for the amount of people, like it was 10 rows deep on the first hole and it was insane.”
Woods arrived as a current major champion, having won The Masters for a fifth time in that April to add to his Tour Championship success the previous year, although was teeing it up for the first time since undergoing knee surgery in August
Woods bogeyed each of his first three holes on the opening morning before recovering to card a six-under 64, seeing him share the early lead with Gary Woodland, with playing partner Tommy Fleetwood blown away by his impressive fightback
“He hit it in the water off the first, hooked a tee shot off the next, and then he bogeyed the next and he was three over,” Fleetwood told the PGA Tour. “But from that point on… it probably is the best round of golf I’ve ever watched.
“Just the way he conducted it. The way he played, the control he had of his golf ball. I shook his hand and I was like, ‘Tiger that was really good today’. And he just looks at me and he went, ‘How about that, huh?’ with that big grin of his.
“At that point I was like, man, even he knows it was so good
Friday’s play was postponed due to a typhoon bringing around 10 inches of rain and the second round was delayed further on Saturday, where the course was closed to fans due to safety concerns.
“The day that the course was closed to the fans, we drove in and fans were waiting on the streets with signs, hundreds of people,” Max Homa said. “It was really cool to see.”
