Everyone, Even Tiger, Is Watching That New Knee

As Tiger Woods returns to golf today after an 8-month hiatus, the big question is how his surgically repaired left knee will hold out, the Miami Herald reports. If the injury that had plagued him for years is really fixed, could Tiger’s swing become even more fearsome? “I’m as curious as you,” Woods told eager reporters.

A torn ligament can be devastating to a golfer: All the torque and force needed to swing a club up to 130 mph twists violently at knee bones and joints. Those who have watched Woods practice recently say he’s been free of the pained expressions that made his 2008 US Open victory so excruciating to watch. All he needs, they say, is confidence. (More Tiger Woods stories.)