SAINT-QUENTIN-EN-YVELINES, France – In the time since the last putt dropped at East Lake, Tiger Woods has been in the midst of an intercontinental whirlwind as he prepares for his Ryder Cup return. What he hasn’t had time for is savoring his drought-breaking victory.
Woods won the Tour Championship on Sunday for his first title in more than five years, a performance that drew congratulations and support from throughout the golf world and beyond. After his first practice round at Le Golf National, Woods admitted that his phone still hasn’t stopped buzzing.
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“I’m trying to return the text messages I’ve gotten, but I’m still well north of 150,” Woods said. “So it’s going to take me a little bit of time before I answer all that.”
Woods hasn’t had a chance to digest his triumph in Atlanta, having been whisked from his post-victory media requirements straight to the U.S. team charter to France. He explained that the only video highlights he’s seen from East Lake are the ones that have aired on a French news station in his hotel, giving him a quick glance of the throng of thousands that followed him up the final fairway.
While there’s work to be done this week as he looks to help the U.S. win in Europe for the first time in 25 years, he knows that a chance to exhale following a comeback season that exceeded even his own expectations is close on the horizon.
“I haven’t really had a lot of time to soak it in,” Woods said. “Post-Ryder Cup, it will be a different story. I’ll look back and soak it up, and really reflect on what really transpired that entire week.”
