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In Full Swing: A Comeback May Be Closer Than We Think

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In Full Swing: Tiger's New Video

First, some backstory.

In 2015, Tiger Woods arrived at the Hero World Challenge an injured man. It was the first time his event would be held at Albany in the Bahamas, but the tournament host — just a few weeks from turning 40 — was coming off surgeries and nowhere close to competition-ready. Instead he spent the week monitoring the action from a golf cart and delivered an honest and decidedly bleak state of affairs in his press conference.

“The hardest part for me is there’s really nothing I can look forward to, nothing I can build toward,” Woods said. “There is no timetable,” he added.

I mentioned that year’s presser to Rory McIlroy on Tuesday of this year’s Hero World Challenge, and he recited Woods’ takeaway quote word for word.

“I think everything beyond this will be gravy,” he recalled Woods saying six years earlier.

The Washington Post headline said it all: Tiger Woods’s latest press conference is a masterclass in sadness

Yikes.

The Hero World Challenge has served as the site of both promise and misery for Woods. A year after that doomsday presser he made his competitive return for four rounds at Albany. Tiger fans found comfort in the fact that Woods walked 72 holes. He even led the field in birdies! But he mixed in a slew of double bogeys, too, and finished in 15th out of 18. The comeback stalled just months later. He wouldn’t play 72 holes again for 12 months.

But when he did reappear in 2017, Woods did so at the Hero again. He worked his way into contention at the halfway mark, played his way out of contention with a Saturday 75 and finished the week T9 — with plenty to build on.

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You know what happened next: The Comeback. Woods’ competitive year in 2018, including a Tour Championship win. His Masters (and Zozo) in 2019. Woods climbed as high as No. 6 in the world. He somehow reentered the conversation for world’s best active golfer.

So it’s only fitting that now, in 2021, this is where Woods is staging the latest chapter in his comeback. First he made his return to the public eye at Tuesday’s presser — a savvy place to do so because Woods is in a controlled environment with a small press corps, there are limited fans, he can draw extra attention to his tournament and foundation and it doesn’t hurt that he’s generally in charge of everything.

Still, in Tuesday’s remarks Woods downplayed any immediate return to competitive golf.

“I’ll put it to you this way: As far as playing at the Tour level, I don’t know when that’s going to happen,” he said. He was self-deprecating about his swing speed, said he’d been playing from the forward tees and seemed intent on lowering expectations.

But Albany has two ends to its range. The side nearer the clubhouse is where most of the action happens; that’s where this week’s players and pro-am competitors get loose. And on Wednesday a figure in white and grey appeared on the back of the range, warming up a familiar swing.

Take this next bit with a grain of salt, because it’s not like Woods was hitting in his home simulator and someone snuck a photo. I’m sure he knew there was a good chance he’d be spotted.

Still, unlike Woods’ swing video from last Sunday, this version wasn’t staged. A Tour staffer noticed Woods and pressed record because why not. Later, Team Tiger gave the okay to release the tapes. And so there we were at 8:26 p.m. EST, watching Woods rip 3-woods down the range. Word spread fast.

The 23-second video tells us plenty. The simple fact that he is insisting on practicing this week suggests he lacks neither a plan nor determination. The camera angle is a reminder that Woods didn’t know he was being filmed. The wedges and driver leaning on the cart suggest a through-the-bag session. And the speed with which he’s swinging is evidence that he’s moving quite well — and that he still hasn’t kicked the habit of telling the public half-truths (at best) when it comes to his health.

For Woods fans, it’s all good news. But with Woods, good news can never be enough on its own. In this case it’s accompanied by a side of, “When is he going to play?” Speculation was already running wild before the video that Woods (and his son Charlie) would tee it up at the PNC Championship. Tiger Insider Notah Begay implied on Golf Channel that the PNC was a possibility, especially given Charlie could take care of most tee shots in the format. Golf Channel’s Todd Lewis suggested more of the same. Despite Woods’ low-expectations presser, he had left the door ajar for a “hit-and-giggle” appearance in the nearer future. And there was Eamon Lynch’s Golfweek report stating the tournament was holding a spot for the team of Woods/Woods.

Woods is hardly Tour-ready. Nobody is suggesting that. He still took frequent breaks in his golf cart between swing sessions on Wednesday, sitting and resting in the Bahamian sunshine. But what’s striking is that we’ve seen him in worse health at this very tournament. And while his playing the PNC is certainly no lock, it’s clear he has future competitive golf on the mind.

Woods’ young peers were effusive.

“Look, whether he plays out on Tour full time or not, he’s still Tiger and he brings so much energy and life,” said Collin Morikawa, Woods’ most recently-crowned heir apparent.

“I think he said yesterday [a limited schedule] that he feels like he can get himself ready for. I mean, it’s smart, it’s smart to do that,” said McIlroy, providing some realistic optimism.

But Xander Schauffele put it best.

“I just saw him yesterday and I told him he’s the most stubborn person that I know,” Schauffele said. “And that he’s trying to — you know, basically he’s using this situation as motivation to try and come back and win and be that guy because he’s always been that guy.”

Now we wait and see.

This article originally appeared on Golf.com.

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One of the Greatest Putts in U.S. Open History?

JJ Spaun’s 64-Foot Walk-Off

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When JJ Spaun stood over a 64-foot birdie putt on the 72nd hole of the 2025 U.S. Open at Oakmont, few could have predicted what would come next. The ball meandered across the slick green, trickling over every contour, picking up speed at the crest, and then—like it had GPS—dropped center cup. Spaun dropped his putter, raised his arms, and the crowd erupted. With that single stroke, he claimed his first major title in one of the most dramatic finishes in U.S. Open history.

But how does Spaun’s putt stack up against other legendary finishes in the tournament’s storied past? Let’s break down some of the most iconic moments and see where this one lands.


1. Payne Stewart – 1999 U.S. Open at Pinehurst

Perhaps the most iconic putt in U.S. Open history came from Payne Stewart, who nailed a 15-footer for par on the 18th to win by one over Phil Mickelson. The pose—fist pump and outstretched leg—has since been immortalized in a statue at Pinehurst. What made it legendary wasn’t just the putt—it was the context: Stewart’s final major before his tragic death just months later.

Verdict: Iconic and emotional. Spaun’s putt was longer, but Stewart’s was more poetic.


2. Tiger Woods – 2008 U.S. Open at Torrey Pines

Woods drained a 12-foot birdie on the 72nd hole to force a playoff with Rocco Mediate—while basically playing on one leg. That tournament went to sudden death after an 18-hole playoff, and Tiger prevailed. This was peak Tiger drama, pain and all.

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Verdict: Spaun’s putt was longer, but Tiger’s win was sheer willpower and mystique.


3. Jack Nicklaus – 1972 U.S. Open at Pebble Beach

With a 1-iron shot that hit the flagstick on 17 and a crucial birdie putt on 18, Jack sealed a dominant win. His precision and timing under pressure showed why he’s the GOAT.

Verdict: Not a putt for the win, but a signature finishing statement from Jack. Spaun’s was more electric in terms of pure putter drama.


4. Ben Hogan – 1950 U.S. Open at Merion

Hogan’s 1-iron into the 18th fairway and the par to force a playoff—just 16 months after a near-fatal car crash—remain legendary. He won the playoff and completed one of golf’s great comeback stories.

Verdict: Larger-than-life comeback. Spaun’s putt had more flair, but Hogan’s win was heroic.


5. JJ Spaun – 2025 U.S. Open at Oakmont

Let’s not underestimate what Spaun accomplished. The pressure was immense. He wasn’t the favorite. And on the most treacherous greens in golf, he buried a 64-foot bomb—a putt most players would be happy to lag to within 5 feet—to win the U.S. Open outright.

Verdict: For distance, surprise, and drama, Spaun’s putt may be the most shocking winning stroke in U.S. Open history.


Final Thoughts

JJ Spaun may not have the résumé of a Nicklaus or Woods, but for one Sunday afternoon in June 2025, he created a moment that will live in golf lore forever. Spaun’s putt was longer than Stewart’s, more unexpected than Tiger’s, and more dramatic than any final-hole finish in recent memory.

In terms of pure clutch putting? It might just be the greatest walk-off in U.S. Open history.


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The Zen of the Shank: Finding Inner Peace in Your Worst Shots

Find your inner peace even when you aren’t playing well.

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Ah, the shank. That glorious, unpredictable misfire that sends your pristine golf ball screaming sideways, often directly into the unsuspecting shins of your playing partner, or perhaps, with a touch of poetic irony, into the very lake you’ve been trying to avoid all day. Most golfers, bless their earnest little hearts, view the shank as a catastrophic failure, a blight upon their scorecard, a testament to their inherent lack of coordination. They curse, they throw clubs, they contemplate a career in competitive thumb-wrestling. But not I. No, my friends, for I, Ty Webb, have found enlightenment in the humble shank.

You see, the shank is not a mistake; it’s a revelation. It’s the universe’s way of reminding you that control is an illusion, that perfection is a myth, and that sometimes, the most direct path to your goal is, in fact, a wildly indirect one. Think of it as a philosophical detour, a sudden, unexpected journey into the unknown. One moment, you’re aiming for the green, a paragon of precision and intent. The next, your ball is ricocheting off a tree, narrowly missing a squirrel, and landing, by some divine comedic intervention, closer to the hole than your perfectly struck drive ever would have. Is that not a miracle? Is that not a sign that the golf gods, much like life itself, have a wicked sense of humor?

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The key, my dear apprentices of the links, is acceptance. Embrace the shank. Welcome it with open arms, like a long-lost, slightly inebriated relative. When that familiar, sickening thwack echoes through the air, do not despair. Instead, take a deep breath. Close your eyes. Feel the gentle breeze on your face. And then, with a knowing smile, open them and observe the chaos you have wrought. Is it not beautiful in its own chaotic way? Is there not a certain freedom in relinquishing control, in allowing the ball to choose its own destiny, however bizarre that destiny may be?

Some say the shank is a sign of poor technique. I say it’s a sign of a vibrant, untamed spirit. A golfer who never shanks is a golfer who has never truly lived, never truly explored the outer limits of their own golfing absurdity. They are content with mediocrity, with predictable trajectories and mundane outcomes. But you, my enlightened few, you understand that the true joy of golf lies not in the score, but in the story. And what a story a good shank can tell.

So, the next time you feel that familiar tremor of a shank brewing, don’t fight it. Let it flow. Let it be. For in the heart of every shank lies a lesson, a laugh, and perhaps, just perhaps, a path to a lower score you never saw coming. After all, as the great philosopher Basho once said, “A flute with no holes, is not a flute. A donut with no hole, is a Danish.” And a golf game without a shank? Well, that’s just not golf, is it?

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Meet The Canadian Open Qualifier Tied To ClickIt Golf!

“This week was incredible,” he said. “A dream come true.”

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Josh Goldenberg doesn’t plan to quit his day job. But he had a great time dabbling in his old career.

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He gave up on pro golf, then qualified for his first PGA Tour event.

Read the full story here
https://golf.com/news/josh-goldenberg-rbc-canadian-open/?amp=1

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