After Surgery and Rest, Expect Woods to Return to Form

He made his deal with the golfing devil, and now the payback is the end of the 2008 season for the arguably the greatest player in the history of the game.

In the wake of Woods's dramatic playoff victory, there has been widespread speculation that perhaps Woods may never be the same. To these eyes, that's way too premature, simply because none of us, save for the Salt Lake City surgeon who performed the last procedure, knows the full story, and he's not talking. Anything else you read from so-called experts in the field is pure speculation.

The 32-year-old Woods, an avid runner, now almost certainly will confine his aerobic exercise to a stationary bike, the better to save wear on tear on both knees. You can also be certain that he and his swing coach, Hank Haney, will be making some changes in his move toward the ball once he can swing free and easy again, likely dialing back the power a notch to take some pressure off his knee.

I've been privileged enough to see Woods play every one of his major championships and a fair number of other events since he turned pro in 1996. And for everyone who tells him "No you can't," Woods answers back by saying "Oh really? Just watch me." We saw it just last week, when hardly anyone gave him a chance to win the Open, certainly not eight weeks after serious surgery, walking 18 holes for the first time since then in the first round.

"I've heard that before," Woods said during his Tuesday pre-tournament news conference when someone asked him what he thought about all those who said he had no chance. And then he simply proved them all wrong.

It says here he'll do it again, with plenty more major championship opportunities in the future. He's a world-class athlete who surely will stretch the envelope when he's approaching 50 and still be competitive with the younger guys every time he tees it up.

Do the math. Starting in 2009, when he's 33, Woods will have 68 more major chances before he turns 50 to surpass Jack Nicklaus's record 18 major wins.

He's played in 46 majors since he turned pro in 1996, with 14 victories, meaning he wins one in just under four starts. If he can recover, stay healthy and focused (never an issue), the man could have close to 30 major wins by the time he's eligible for senior golf.

Maybe that sounds a tad far-fetched, but surpassing Nicklaus will be totally unrealistic if Woods doesn't do the right thing right now by doing exactly what his doctors tell him, no matter how itchy he gets to start swinging a club. No heroics necessary. Just go and get better. If you know Tiger Woods, you also have to know he surely will.

Leonard Shapiro can be reached at Len.Shapiro@washingtonpost.com.