Welcome to Play Smart, a regular GOLF.com game-improvement column that will help you play smarter, better golf.

Tiger Woods has just about every shot imaginable in his arsenal. Whether the situation requires the ball to go high or low, left or right, the 15-time major winner has the shot in his bag to get it done.

Watching Woods work around the greens you can see his creativity really shine. Rarely on the course does he hit just a stock shot with his short game. Every scenario is a little bit different, and each requires specific adjustments in order to have the best chance of chipping it close.

One of Woods’ go-to shots around the greens comes in the form of a “draw chip.” And in today’s edition of Play Smart, we’re going to hear from the man himself on how to hit it.

How to hit Tiger’s draw chip

Sometimes getting the ball close from short range requires a little bit of creative thinking. For Woods, that comes in the form of shaping the ball left or right to get the ball close.

For a shot that needs to move left-to-right — or one that might be affected by a tough lie — he turns to his patented draw chip.

Executing the shot is simple. According to Woods, he opens the face just a touch, keeps his hands forward at address and then when the club head is approaching impact, he tries to close the face down and move his body forward.

“I’ll get more spin,” Woods says. “But I’m also ensuring that I don’t fat it.”

Next time you’re around the greens and are worried about catching the ball a little heavy, try focusing on hitting a draw chip. You’ll be amazed how easy it is to execute — and how useful it is to have in your arsenal.

Today’s Sports Highlight in History:

In 2006, Tiger Woods (30) becomes the youngest player to compile 50 PGA Tour wins with a 3 stroke victory over Jim Furyk in the Buick Open.

On this date:

1958 — Glen Davis of Columbus, Ohio, sets a world record in the 400 hurdles with a time of 49.2 in Budapest, Hungary

1966 — Muhammad Ali knocks out Brian London in the third round to retain his world heavyweight title.

1972 — South African Gary Player wins his second PGA golf championship with a two-stroke victory over Jim Jamieson and Tommy Aaron.

1978 — John Mahaffey beats Tom Watson and Jerry Pate on the second playoff hole to win the PGA Championship.

1984 — American athlete Carl Lewis wins long jump (8.54m), his second of 4 gold medals at Los Angeles Olympics.

Since 2019, when Tiger Woods grabbed his 15th major, the GOAT Debate has been never-ending. On one hand, it’s the 48-year-old, and on the other, it’s 18-time major winner Jack Nicklaus. The Golden Bear has the majors, while Woods has total PGA Tour wins (82). One thing is common though: Both have 0 Olympic wins. However, in a recent viral post on X, Jamie Kennedy posted a theory about the majors crowing players like the Olympics with gold, silver, and bronze medals. And surprisingly, there too, Nicklaus dominated Woods. Massively! As per their current standings, the 84-year-old would have amassed 18 gold 19 silver, and 9 bronze medals, representing his marvelous first, second, and third finishes at the majors. Woods, on the other hand, would have 15 gold, 7 silver, and 4 bronze medals. And while this is nothing but a theory, it does show that when it came to the big 4 events in golf. Jack Nicklaus was a force that perhaps even Tiger Woods could never keep up with. https://twitter.com/jamierkennedy/status/1817871304583729209 Interestingly, currently, Woods and Nicklaus have reversible ages. The veteran is 84 while the golf champ is 48. Yet these debates of one being better than the other persist. But when it comes to internal relations between the two, things couldn’t be more friendly. Woods looks up to Nicklaus as a mentor. He often even seeks out his advice. As for the senior golfer, he’s always rooting for the 25-time major winner. Even now!

Jack Nicklaus believes Tiger Woods has a lot more to give

Can Tiger Woods still roar? Golf legend Jack Nicklaus certainly thinks so! At the 2000 PGA Championship, Woods’ unbelievable performance convinced Nicklaus, then 60, to hang up his golf clubs. But now, 23 years later, Nicklaus still believes that 48-year-old Woods still has what it takes. Nicklaus, who, keep in mind, was the biggest thing in golf back in the late 1900s, has been impressed with Woods’s recent performances, including the display he put on at the Masters earlier this year. Woods made the cut with an impressive first 2 days. And even though he finished dead last on Sunday, Nicklaus believes he has it in him to win. “Tiger has the ability to still play,” Nicklaus said at the Legends Luncheon according to Golf Digest. “He doesn’t play, obviously, quite as well as he did, but I think a lot of that is his physical ailments.” And well, it is true. Tiger Woods has had his fair share of injuries in the past couple of years. From his knee to his back, Woods has had several surgeries too, and that has affected both his skill and appearance on the greens. But the 15-time major winner remains adamant that he can win. And with the other GOAT in golf agreeing, who’ll dare contest that?

ESPN released a list of the top professional athletes of the 21st Century, with Tiger Woods ranked eighth, raising debates on the ranking of athletes based on their achievements since 2000.

By the Numbers

• Tiger Woods is ranked 8th on ESPN’s list of top athletes of the 21st Century.
• Only 13 of Woods’ 18 major wins have come since the year 2000.

Yes, But

Some argue that Woods could have been ranked higher based on his impact on golf compared to other athletes on the list.

State of Play

• The ranking considers accomplishments since 2000, leading to diverse opinions on the placement of different athletes.
• Woods’ influence on rejuvenating golf is highlighted as a separate factor from his on-course performance.

What’s Next

Future discussions may continue surrounding the ranking of athletes and the criteria used to assess their impact within their respective sports.

Bottom Line

Tiger Woods’ 8th position on ESPN’s list acknowledges his significant impact on golf but sparks discussions on the relative ranking of athletes across diverse sports.

Tiger Woods has confirmed that he will play PGA Tour Champions events when he turns 50, according to comments made by Padraig Harrington.

Tiger Woods has plans to play senior golf. 

At least that is the contention of multiple major champion Padraig Harrington.

“I met Tiger recently and he said he was looking forward to coming out onto the Champions Tour,” Harrington said.

“I think his words were, ‘I can’t wait to beat you out on the Champions Tour’, or something like that.

Woods is now 48 years old and will be eligible to compete on the PGA Tour Champions circuit when he turns 50.

And he would also be able to use a golf cart. Whether he does that remains to be seen.

Legendary golfer Jack Nicklaus hinted in previous interviews that Woods would be willing to use one.

Woods doubles down

The 2024 Open Championship marked Woods’ eighth start in a major since his car crash three years ago.

His results do not make for pretty reading.

In fact, it’s quite hard to watch the golfer being a bit-part player on a stage he owned for so long.

Woods made a shocking return to the sport in the 2022 Masters at Augusta National.

Since then, his results in the majors reads as follows:

• PGA Championship at Southern Hills – WD
• The Open at St Andrews – MC
• The Masters – WD
• The Masters – 60th
• PGA Championship at Valhalla – MC
• U.S. Open at Pinehurst No.2. – MC
• The Open – MC

There was one immediate question after his latest performance at Royal Troon.

Why is he doing this to himself? 

There are other questions as well.

What pleasure does he derive from these performances? What does he have to prove?

In fact, he was positive about the future.

“I’ve gotten better, even though my results really haven’t shown it,” he said.

“I just need to keep progressing like that and then eventually start playing more competitively and start getting into kind of the competitive flow again.

“I’m going to just keep getting physically better and keep working on it.”

“I’ve always loved playing major championships,” he said. “I just wish I was more physically sharp coming into the majors.

“Obviously it tests you mentally, physically, emotionally, and I just wasn’t as sharp as I needed to be.

“I was hoping that I would find it somehow, just never did.”

Woods has also confirmed he will be at The Open next year when the major heads to Royal Portrush in Ireland.

It was suggested by Colin Montgomerie that Tiger Woods should call time on his playing career ahead of The Open, and one fan at Royal Troon made their feelings known on the matter

“Prove Monty wrong!” was the cry on the first tee at Royal Troon as Tiger Woods got his first round of The Open Championship underway on Thursday.

Woods is making just his fifth start of the year this week, as the 82-time PGA Tour champion continues to play a part-time schedule amid struggles over his fitness. His injury setbacks have unsurprisingly hampered his game in recent years, and heading into this week’s event his future was questioned.

Woods’ former rival in Colin Montgomerie suggested it could well be time for the 15-time major winner to call time on his playing days, telling The Times: “I hope people remember Tiger as Tiger was, the passion and the charismatic aura around him.

“There is none of that now. At Pinehurst, he did not seem to enjoy a single shot and you think ‘What the hell is he doing?’.” Questions Woods’ previous claims that he would only retire when he was no longer competitive, Montgomerie added: “Aren’t we there? I’d have thought we were past there.