He is Tiger Woods (44), a 15-time major winner and the reigning Masters champion. His rank is 47 in the FedEx Cup season playoff points standings. He will participate in another round of golf and have to improve upon his position to make an entry into the top 30. That will give him a chance to reach the Tour Championship next month in Atlanta and work towards his record of equaling the feat of Jack Nicklaus. His last outing in Harding did not help matters because he did not appear to be in form. He ended up sharing 37th in last week's PGA Championship.

Tiger Woods has to wait some more to come on par with the record of Jack Nicklaus. The result of the latest game could have been because of issues related to his health, apart from lack of practice. Then, there was the effect of coronavirus that meant playing with no spectators. Fans and supporters play a vital role in encouraging the players and their absence affects the game.

News 18 says Tiger Woods confirmed he would play in next week's US PGA Tour playoff opener, The Northern Trust at TPC Boston. He has been struggling with a number of health issues that forced him to skip many events. Subsequently, the coronavirus pandemic brought the golf season to an end in March. For Tiger Woods, the first major tournament of the year was at TPC Harding Park and he was not his usual self.

TPC Boston is not new to Tiger Woods

Tiger Woods has to his credit, a win at TPC Boston in 2006. Apart from that, he has three other top-three showings over the layout. However, he has played there only once since 2013. Right now, he has won 82 US PGA titles. That makes him level with Sam Snead for the all-time record. News 18 adds that he has a tough task ahead because he must ensure being in the top 70 pointwise after Boston.

That will pave the way for the next step, which is the second playoff event. It will be the BMW Championship in late August at Olympia Fields. Once he clears that hurdle, he can go for the season-ending Tour Championship at the beginning of September at East Lake.

Tiger Woods has more games ahead

Incidentally, Woods has some more games to play and he could regain his form if his back does not let him down.

News 18 reveals he won the 2018 Tour Championship but last year, failed to qualify and defend the title. It was due to fitness problems. Last October he won the Zozo Championship in Japan to equal Snead's mark. Golf is a game that requires complete control of certain critical parts of the body, especially the back and the knees. He has tried to overcome these and forge ahead but competition is tough and competitors are younger. In February 2019, Tiger Woods had a chance to play golf with President Donald Trump and Jack Nicklaus in Mar-a-Lago.

Physical fitness is a worry for Tiger Woods

According to PGA Tour, Woods has a tight schedule ahead and his back has to withstand three weeks of competition that will test his ability to take on the next generation of players.

He is in his 40s and has to compete with the young ones. So far, he has played just five events this season. In fact, he has had two games since the season restarted and his performance was not as per expectations.

He finished T40 at the Memorial Tournament presented by Nationwide and T37 at the PGA Championship. He has 2020 U.S. Open in his sights as well, and it will be a packed schedule for him. He is training to meet the challenges and says, “It's a long grind. Playing well at the right times, it's all about timing when you get to the TOUR Championship.” Golf is not just a game about the club, the ball, and the course but is a combination of the player’s eyesight, reflexes, concentration, and physical fitness. The latest addition is getting used to games minus spectators.