Tiger tees-off at the Bridgestone Invitational after three months off

Beginning Thursday, Tiger is on his quest to find his game and win his first PGA event since September 13, 2009.

But it won’t be that easy.

Tiger has been away from competitive play since May 12th, when he withdrew from the Players Championship after nine holes due to pain in his knee.

Injuries won’t bode well for 35 year-old. Especially because of the re-occurring pain in his  knees. I know because one of my sister’s has had two ACL surgeries and four arthroscopic surgeries to repair meniscus. Once the problem begins, it will also stick around like a rock in your shoe.

“I don’t feel a thing,” Woods said in his news conference. “It feels solid, it feels stable, no pain. That’s one of the reasons why I took as long as I did to come back is that I want to get to this point where I can go ahead and start playing golf again like this.”

Golf needs Tiger to find his game and hoist a trophy on a Sunday in his usual Nike red polo shirt.

Tiger brings an audience to the television. Not just golf fans because they will watch anyway. Although his popularity has gone down since “the incident,” Tiger still sells.

Today Tiger Woods begins his quest to recovery on the golf course. He has struggled, most likely through pain, to play the type of game you and I are use to. And with the perfection he is so use to.

Woods lost his No. 1 ranking last November–a title he held for five straight years. The Bridgestone Invitational defeated Tiger last year, to the point where he has to just move on. His play was baffling, finishing at 18-over par, 30 strokes behind winner Hunter Mahan. But he has won on this course seven times before.

Tiger returns to the sport he loves after a three-month absence. Since “the incident,” Tiger has again made another change, opting to fire Steve Williams who carried his bag for 12 years. Childhood friend Bryon Bell will take over on a part-time basis. In comparison, Tiger has 63 PGA Tour wins with Williams on the bag and just once with Bell.

Golf is better with golf playing. ESPN will dedicate time to the Bridgestone Invitational with Tiger’s return, and articles like this will be written. His impact is obvious. Fans love watching Tiger golf and hit his legendary shots that helped make him famous.

His return is important for the sport and a win for Woods is long overdue.

“I’m just focused on trying to win a golf tournament,” he said. “That’s it.”

Follow Scott