Last week saw the highly anticipated return of Tiger Woods to the golf course and with the world watching on, the 14-time major winner teased golf fans with glimpses of talent that has made him so iconic.
A second round 65 set pulses racing, but Woods still showed signs of rustiness and a final round 76 showed all the signs of a golfer with still a lot of work to do.
However, his reemergence on the global stage has allowed him drew huge viewing figures, the most this year since the Open at Royal Troon.
Speaking on tonight's Off The Ball, Shane Lowry admitted he was not surprised by these figures and claimed that's the sort of excitement the sport needs.
"That's why we need him," he told Joe Molloy. "I thought he played great, I thought he was swinging the club really well. He made two more birdies than anyone else in the whole field. 24 birdies for the week, which is great. Obviously he made a few doubles in there, but that's just rustiness from not being match fit I suppose.
Tiger Woods in action at the Hero World Golf Challenge last week in the Bahamas. Image: AP Photo/Lynne Sladky
"He's swinging the club as well as he has done in a long time. I'm quite excited to have him back in the game and I've never actually played with him. All I want to do is play with him once.
"I probably started watching golf in the late 90s so Tiger Woods was just coming along. He's one of the main reasons why I started playing the game."
