By Phil Lutton
PGA chairman Peter O'Malley says Australia would roll out the red carpet for Tiger Woods should the returning superstar want to add another southern summer swing to his 2017 schedule.
O'Malley has been overseeing and playing in the Australian PGA Championship on the Gold Coast, but the eyes of the golfing world have been fixated on the Bahamas as Woods began his official comeback.
The 14-time Grand Slam winner, whose career had been wrecked by chronic back injuries and personal scandals, returned from a 15-month break in encouraging style at the Hero World Challenge, firing a sizzling seven-under 65 in the second round after starting with a 73.
With a new compact swing, Woods proved he could still go low as he began the long road back as a 40-year-old recovering from three surgeries. But his stardom in the game remains unsurpassed and the excitement could be felt among the field at Royal Pines.
Tiger Woods in action in the Bahamas... the golfing great is no stranger to Australian shores.Credit: Christian Petersen
"Definitely. It's good to get golf back in the news. Tiger, at his peak, golf was front page news everywhere. It's great for the game of golf that he's back. And I guess if he comes back and shoots a few more good rounds, that will only give him more confidence," O'Malley said.
"We've got some superstars with Jason (Day) and Rory (McIlroy) and Jordan Spieth and Adam Scott but we still need Tiger to get back in the game. When he was number one for so long, just dominating, there were people with no interest in golf but they know Tiger Woods.
"Hopefully he plays well and keeps going and is playing fulltime next year."
Woods has yet to map out his playing schedule and much will depend on his form and how well his body holds up through multiple events. He had been a regular visitor to Australia in his prime and O'Malley said he would be welcomed with open arms.
An in-form Woods would be in huge demand but a local pitstop next summer may not be far-fetched. Australia has proven to be a strong launching pad in recent years, with players like Spieth beginning major-winning runs at the Australian Open in Sydney.
Woods was last in Australia in 2011 for the President's Cup at Royal Melbourne and prior to that, won the Australian Masters at Kingston Heath in 2009.
"We'd love to have him back in Australia again. He's been in Australia a lot. We haven't had him at a PGA Championship yet but it would be wonderful for him to come back. Everyone wants to come back and watch him," O'Malley said.
O'Malley was elected to the chairman's role in June this year and has been monitoring feedback from players at Royal Pines as they take to the revamped course, which has still to fully mature after renovations.
The greens have been tricky all week but O'Malley said the response had been far more positive than last year.
"The response this week has been pretty good. The course has been more playable than last year. The greens are still very difficult to read because they still haven't settled in entirely but there's a lot more positive feeling about the tournament," he said.