Patrick Reed wouldn’t be surprised if Tiger ‘came back and started winning a lot of tournaments’

After playing a practice round in Albany Patrick Reed said he wouldn’t be surprised if Tiger Woods came back and started winning tournaments again, providing he stays healthy.

Woods is making his long-awaited return at the Hero World Challenge this week following his fourth back surgery this year, and there has been a lot of speculation about his form coming in to the event. 

During yesterday’s practice round with Patrick Reed, Woods was reported to having been comfortably hitting it past Reed – including their last hole (where he was said to have hit it around 50 yards further.)  

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Brad Faxon, Dustin Johnson, Rickie Fowler and Jason Day have been among the players who have talked about how far Tiger’s been hitting it and how ready it is, and now Reed has told the Golf Channel that that was just what he expected from the 14-time major champion. 

“It didn’t impress me that he could hit it long and straight,” said Reed. “I expected that. Tiger wasn’t going to come back unless he felt his game could handle it.

“I was more impressed by him hitting the different golf shots, going at drivers hard, drawing it, fading it, moving his body fast through the ball, moving his body slow through the ball, getting steep on some to flight it, being able to hit all the shots he hit today and not once wince, not once pick his tee up tee gingerly, walking tall, walking his normal pace and with pep in his step.”

“He has nothing else to prove. People are putting all these expectations on him. Is he gonna come back? Is he gonna play well? Who cares? We’re just glad to have him back. We all want a healthy Tiger.

“If [he] stays healthy … I wouldn’t be surprised if he came back and started winning a lot of tournaments again. If he stays healthy.”

NEXT: What you need to know about Tiger Woods’ return – tee times, how to watch, and what the pro’s have been saying 

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