Tiger Woods on the driving range in preparation for the Dubai Desert Classic battle at the Emirates Golf Club on Tuesday.
Tiger spotting is rare. And you might be lucky if you see one. But for a select few though, that rare occurrence happened to be on Tuesday afternoon.
We are not talking about the wild animal here, though. We are talking about one of the greatest golfers the world has ever seen - the one and only Tiger Woods.
Three years after his last appearance, Woods was back to one of his favourite places to play golf - Dubai.
Once on top of the world, Woods, a name synonymous with golf, is on a comeback trail, so to speak, having battled a painful back injury.
After three surgical procedures and a 17-month lay-off, Woods, who made even people who didn't follow the sport, into golf fans, is back and trying to be back where he belongs.
His first full PGA Tour event may have not gone according to the storyline, with the 41-year-old missing the cut at the Farmers Insurance Open at Torrey Pines, but Woods could be in for something here.
Perhaps, a return to familiar environs - the Majlis Course of the Emirates Golf Club -where he won two Omega Dubai Desert Classic titles in 2006 and 2008, could be the turnaround.
At 41 and having achieved so much in an illustrious career which many would envy, it is quite easy to head off into the twilight. But not Tiger Woods.
Woods still feels he has much to give and will be at it, at a sport that he loves and holds close to his heart.
And if there was a lesson in commitment, one had to look no farther than this man. Despite a long-haul from Los Angeles to Dubai, Woods was at the Majlis Course on Tuesday afternoon.
Woods flew from Los Angeles on EK 218 for 16 hours and across 12 time zones, and touched down in the early hours of Tuesday morning.
And he was at the Course at 11.30 a.m, and headed off to the driving and putting range. He tested the Bridgestone golf balls and spent 45 minutes before he left the course to shoot for a Dubai promotional video.
Woods will be back on Wednesday morning at 7.30am, to take part in the Pro-Am.
james@khaleejtimes.com
Published: Tue 31 Jan 2017, 8:51 PM
Updated: Wed 1 Feb 2017, 3:33 PM
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