Expect Woods to return at Bay Hill next March

With Tiger Woods’ AT&T National on tap for this weekend at Congressional Country Club in Washington, D.C., the most notable knee in sports is once again the subject of endless fodder and speculation. Woods’ made his first public comments since his successful ACL reconstruction surgery via conference call Monday, June 30 and talked about his prognosis but remained reluctant to address a possible return date.

The timeline for Woods’ reappearance on the PGA Tour may be getting more attention than John McCain and Barack Obama’s timetable’s for withdrawal from Iraq; and it’s an election year. 

“As far as long-term, I really don’t know,” Woods told the assembled media over the telephone. “We have to see how this thing heals. Everyone heals at a different rate. Some people are back to playing sports in six months, some are nine and some are 12. So to be honest with you, no one really knows until we start the rehab process and see how this thing heals.

Chances are some of that may be true, but Woods certainly knows when he’d like to be back. Late January’s Buick Invitational would be a return trip to Torrey Pines and is roughly eight months from today. With his tremendous sense of historical significance relating to everything golf, you’ve got to believe Woods would love to bring everything relating to the U.S. Open full circle and make it back for the Buick.

For sentiment’s sake Woods may attempt to be ready to go when the PGA Tour returns to the site of his greatest triumph to date, but having already sacrificed two majors in 2008, Woods won’t want to rush back and jeopardize his trip to Augusta in April.

The most likely venue for Woods’ grand re-opening of sorts is the Arnold Palmer Invitational held at Bay Hill in mid-March. The tournament is held close to Tiger’s home in Orlando, he is the defending champion and he has a great deal of respect and admiration for Palmer.

Depending on how things go at Bay Hill, Woods could make it back-to-back tournaments by teeing it up at Doral for the WGC-CA Championship. This scenario would give him plenty of time to recuperate from his knee surgery while allowing him to somewhat prepare for the 2009 Masters.

Whenever he does return, Woods expects to be as good as ever, if not better.

“The doctors have assured me that my long-term health will be a hell of a lot better than it’s been over the past decade,” he said. “So I’m really looking forward to that, and not having pain after I’m playing and while I’m playing. So, I’m really looking forward to it.”

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