TIGER WOODS will be thrown into the deep end this week, after successfully “dipping his toe” back into the golfing waters.
Justin Rose feels Torrey Pines is going to prove a much sterner test than the Hero World Challenge, where Woods, 41, finished in a share of ninth place last month.
That raised hopes he could be a real force in the game despite four back operations.
And Rose, who finished tied fifth in the same event just three shots ahead of Woods, admitted the top players are just excited as golf fans about the former world No 1’s return to competitive action.
English ace Rose is also teeing it up at the Farmers Insurance Open on Thursday after finishing tied-fourth last year.
And he will be fascinated to see how Woods plays at a venue where he was won EIGHT times.
Rose said: “It’s great that Tiger is playing here, because it ramps up the excitement a notch.
“It will be terrific to see him play competitively again. There’s tons of anticipation.
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“The Hero seemed to go really well for him and there was a real buzz. That was the perfect ‘soft’ return, a way to dip your toe in the water — but this week is for real.
“It’s a tougher, championship-style golf course but one where we know he has done really well in the past.
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“So he will be able to measure his game a little more accurately by the end of the week.
“But from what I hear, the way he’s swinging a club and hitting the ball sounds very positive. He seems to have all his speed back which tells you a lot about someone’s physical condition.
“Obviously we’ve been starved of Tiger golf, not just for the past year but for the past five years really.
“All the players admire him and what he’s done and we are all keeping one eye on what he’s doing. We’re all keen to know what’s happening in Tiger’s world and to see him make a successful comeback.”
World No 6 Rose, 37, is kicking himself after his streak of ten successive top-ten finishes ended with a share of 22nd behind fellow Englishman Tommy Fleetwood at last week’s Abu Dhabi HSBC Championship.
If he had kept his run going, he would have arrived in San Diego needing another big week to equal Woods’ modern-day record of 12 — which climaxed here with his 2008 US Open victory on the South Course.
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Rose added: “It’s a bit annoying to learn that! But one streak ends and hopefully another one begins.”
Spanish sensation Jon Rahm warmed up for the defence of his Farmers Insurance title — when he sunk an incredible 60-foot eagle putt on the final hole — by winning the CareerBuilder Challenge in Palm Springs on Sunday.
His victory over American Andrew Landry on the fourth play-off hole lifted the 23-year-old up to No 2 spot in the world rankings.
And his probable Ryder Cup partner — Masters champion Sergio Garcia — opened his 2018 campaign with a five-shot victory in the Singapore Open.
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