Golf needs Tiger Woods back to peak fitness

Tiger Woods is right to adopt a long-term strategy to overcome his recent back injury.

There is no point in him rushing back to play at the US Open next month at Pinehurst. And I would be surprised to see him at Hoylake for our Open.

He may even miss the PGA in August, but Tiger is being philosophical. He might miss all four Majors this year, but he’s looking at the bigger picture.

He is now 38, but Jack Nicklaus won the last of his 18 Majors aged 46 at The Masters. That gives Tiger eight years and 32 goes to try to equal that record.

That perspective could be the perfect tool to make sure he gets his rehabilitation absolutely right.

Think of the countless examples of footballers who came back too soon where it did more harm than good.

You don’t play well because you’re not ready, you lose confidence and all of a sudden, you’re not the same player.

We don’t want that with Tiger. The sport needs him to come back 100% and ready to challenge to win tournaments again.

I’m not sure anyone realised quite how serious his back injury was, but it’s always serious when surgery is involved.

There is nothing worse for a golfer than a back injury. There is a long process of physical and psychological recovery to undergo.

You are concerned about completing your swing and the simple contact of club and ball. There is an underlying fear about what might happen.

A back problem was at the root of Seve Ballesteros’ demise. Seve went from being the longest hitter on tour to one of the shortest because he became afraid to make a full swing.

It ruined his game and he lost his rhythm and his confidence evaporated. That shows you delicate this is for Tiger.

I remember flying from a tournament in Dubai to one in Singapore and Seve had to lie on the floor for the entire journey because of his back.

I know from my own experiences just how fragile your back is. I slipped a disc on the Seniors’ Tour and that was the beginning of the end of my competitive golf career.

When it happened, the pain was unbearable. Even when I returned, there was always a nagging doubt that it might happen again.

Tiger is currently away from the course, but he’s enjoying some good family time, which will be a cathartic experience.

He can recharge his batteries and return to the Tour refreshed and ready to battle history.

He has spent his whole career breaking records and it’s far too early to write him off just yet.