It's A Tiger Woods Week, Min Woo Lee Is Officially Coming, Will Zalatoris Makes His Return, And Paul McGinley Gets His Tryout At NBC
For a week where the world of professional golf was largely on pause there sure is quite a bit to look back on, and certainly plenty to look forward to with Tiger Woods set to make his return to competitive golf in this week's Hero World Challenge in the Bahamas.
There isn't much more to say other than it's great for everyone when Woods is swinging a golf club. Maybe with this return, the golf world will have realistic expectations for the big cat moving forward. Maybe I'll hit the lottery this week as well.
Mr. Woods isn't the only man beginning a comeback this week, Will Zalatoris is slated to return to the links after undergoing back surgery earlier in the year.
As for golf that was played this past week, nobody played it better than Min Woo Lee who won the Australian PGA Championship over the weekend. He's in for a monstrous season and is a name every golf fan will get accustomed to rather quickly in 2024.
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Tiger Woods Is Back, So Let's Talk Expectations
Tiger Woods will play his first competitive round of golf this week since withdrawing from the Masters in April and undergoing ankle surgery soon thereafter.
We've all seen this movie multiple times now, albeit each edition has some sort of tweak to it in the form of some setback for the 15-time major winner. But dare I say this one feels different than years past.
Tiger Woods is making his return to competitive golf in this week's Hero World Challenge, a tournament he co-hosts. (Photo by David Cannon/Getty Images)
While there will still be the delusional Woods fans out there who think the soon-to-be 48-year-old can rattle off a few more majors and catch Jack Nicklaus' record, I think the majority in the golf world have finally figured out what realistic expectations are moving forward.
And those realistic expectations are no expectations at all.
Every competitive round we get from Woods moving forward is just a gift. If he battles into contention on a Sunday, that's just an added bonus. We're talking about a man who not only nearly lost a leg but could have died in a car wreck in February 2021. He's also had countless surgeries on his spine and just about every ligament in the human body. On top of that, Father Time is still undefeated.
As for the Hero World Challenge, it'll be incredibly fun to see where Woods' game stacks up against a super limited field made up of some of the best players in the world.
Min Woo Lee Is About To Take The Game By Storm
Speaking of the best young players in the world, Min Woo Lee has officially checked that box after his win in Australia over the weekend.
Many American golf fans were first introduced to the Aussie during the 2023 Players when he played alongside eventual winner Scottie Scheffler in the final pairing on Sunday. He ultimately carded a final round 76 to finish T-6, but quickly picked up thousands of supporters thanks to his disgustingly good swing and unique style.
Min Woo Lee is primed to have a monster 2024. (Photo by James Gilbert/PGA TOUR via Getty Images)
Lee was ranked 50th in the world at The Players but has since jumped all the way to 38th, and at this point it would be more of a surprise to not see him inside the Top 25 at some point in 2024.
The 25-year-old ended up winning the Aussie PGA by three shots, with one being a bit more spectacular than the others.
His win in his home country comes just over a month after he picked up a win at the Macao Open on the Asian Tour. It's also worth noting Marc Leishman, Joaquin Niemann, Adam Scott, and Cameron Davis were all in the field for this week's Australian PGA.
Lee earned his 2024 PGA Tour card after securing enough non-member FedEx Cup points last season, so you best get accustomed to seeing his name ahead of the new campaign.
The crazy thing is, he's not even the best player in his family. His sister, Minjee, is a two-time major winner and has been a Top 10-ranked player since 2018.
Be sure to follow me on X @ItIsMarkHarris and send me any golf-related emails at mark.harris@outkick.com.
Will Zalatoris' Back Is Back
While the headline you'll read throughout the week will be about how the Hero World Challenge is the perfect return spot for Tiger Woods, Will Zalatoris is making his return as well. It's hard to come up with a better tournament for him to test his game than the Bahamas.
Zalatoris underwent back surgery this spring just before the Masters to relieve pain caused by a herniated disk. Returning to competitive golf on a flat golf course in a steamy climate and with an uber-relaxed feel is about as ideal as it gets for someone fresh off of a back procedure.
The Wake Forest product picked up six Top 10 finishes in nine major championship starts as a professional before his back started flaring up.
Paul McGinley Gets A Trial Run In Tiger Woods Return
From one Paul to another. That's the route NBC may be taking by subbing in Paul McGinley to take over the void left by Paul Azinger.
READ: NBC NOT RENEWING PAUL AZINGER SIGNALS NETWORK’S GOLF BROADCASTS ARE GOING TO SOMEHOW GET WORSE
The former Ryder Cup-winning player and captain from Ireland turned analyst for Golf Channel and Sky Sports is set to be in the lead chair during this week's coverage of the Hero World Challenge.
NBC has confirmed McGinely is being given a tryout of sorts but told GOLF.com that a permanent move has not yet been made.
Myself and plenty of others out there immediately tabbed McGinley as the top target for NBC after splitting with Azinger, and it's clear the network has a similar thought. He would be a fantastic get for the network, but it's unclear if he wants to commit to that lengthy of a schedule or potentially continue being a co-host for Golf Channel's major championship coverage.
Be sure to follow me on X @ItIsMarkHarris and send me any golf-related emails at mark.harris@outkick.com