It’s been some journey for Woods over the past 12 months and he has marked his return to form by winning his first PGA Tour event since 2013.
Woods was still recovering from spinal fusion surgery this time last year with even the most ardent fans pessimistic about seeing the golf legend return to his best.
A promising performance at the Hero World Challenge in November – finishing ninth – gave hope to those hoping to see Woods return to former glory.
But nobody could have foreseen the campaign the 42-year-old has undergone in 2018.
He began the year ranked No 656 but soon shot up the rankings after finished tied-second at the Valspar Championships before a fifth-placed finish at the Arnold Palmer Invitational.
He rolled back the years at the Masters, donning his famous Sunday red and carded a 69.
Missing the cut at the US Open threatened to de-rail his campaign but returned weeks later by finishing tied-fourth at the Quicken Loans National.
The 14-time major champion got everyone out of their seats at The Open Championships as he held the lead on the final day, only to fall heartbreakingly short.
Tiger Frenzy was in full force at the PGA Championship though as he shot his lowest final round ever in a major.
It wasn’t enough to claim his first win on the Tour in five years, finishing two shots back from Brooks Koepka.
But fans were confident of seeing him finally reach win number 80.
And it finally came in Woods’ final PGA tour event of the season at East Lake.
As the winning moment drew nearer on Sunday, Woods admitted his emotions almost got the better of him.
“I was having a hard time not crying,” Woods said.
“I just can’t believe I pulled this off. It’s been tough.
“I’ve had a not so easy last couple years.”
