Tiger Woods returns to the golf course this week as the 898th best golfer in the World.
Once atop of the World Rankings for 683 weeks, the 14-time major winner has fallen almost 900 places due to a loss in form, but predominantly due to numerous back surgeries.
This week, Woods plays in the 18-man field at the Hero World Challenge in The Bahamas. The exclusive field sees three of the 2016 major winners in the field, along with Olympic gold medalist Justin Rose.
Hoping for a good comeback for @TigerWoods @HWC2016. Simply finishing the event would lead to a notable #OWGR boost. Here are the scenarios: pic.twitter.com/JnZAnOVlAM
— Nosferatu (@VC606) November 28, 2016
Such is the strength of the field, Woods stands to make a big dent into climbing back up the World Rankings even if he finishes in last place.
If he finishes the tournament, Woods can expect to moved up around 150 places, to around 750th. In a best case scenario, a win in Albany would see the 40-year-old enter the World's top 130.
Having not played since the Wyndham Championship in August 2015, Woods is returning in a tournament which he runs himself raising money for his own foundation.
After a 15-month wait for Woods, interest in the sport will undoubtedly increase. Woods' journey to try and return to the game's elite will be one of sport's most compelling stories in 2017.
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