This is the time of year that I would refer to as the slow season for golf because the real competition doesn’t begin until February when most of the top players have begun playing regularly, but there is still plenty of news to chew on.

I would say the biggest story is the recent three-second video of Tiger Woods (Bridgestone Tour B XS) taking his first golf swing – at least publicly – since his horrific car accident back in late February. It has already generated several million views. No one moves the golf needle – and, to an even greater extent, the sports needle – quite like Woods. Not LeBron James. Not Lionel Messi. Not Tom Brady.

There are people who are suggesting – hoping is probably more like it – the clip was a teaser towards Woods playing in the Masters less than five months away. If he did play in it, that would be the latest unbelievable story of Woods’ career. But he is too proud of a competitor to simply show up at the Masters without thinking he will be competitive. Even if he does feel competitive, he has long since lost the advantage he had over the field with his ball-striking capability, especially off the tee. There are too many players now who can routinely drive the ball an average of more than 330 yards, and some who can carry 400 yards on occasion. And you know I’m referring to Bryson DeChambeau (Bridgestone Tour B X). When Woods was younger and stronger and so much better than the competition, it all started with his drives off of the tee. Everything that followed was pure, unbridled talent and skill.

But that is gone and, barring a miracle, will never happen again. If winning the Masters in 2019 was the apex of his career, that will be a perfect milestone by which to remember him. But if you want to take a shot on Woods winning the Masters in 2022, Vegas betting shops are offering odds of 35-1.

You have to believe Woods wants to make a comeback in hopes of winning another PGA tournament to set the career record of 83. He is tied with Sam Snead. And when you think about it, it took a generational talent to tie Snead and that tells you something about his ability.

Woods had already been cutting back on his Tour schedule in recent years, so if he does return it may be something in the range of 10-15 events. If he only plays one more PGA tournament, well, what’s more important now is quality of life.

THE MATCH EVENT: All the hype about DeChambeau and Brooks Koepka (Titleist Pro V1x) hooking up in the fifth edition of The Match for charity at the Wynn Golf Club in Nevada turned out to be much ado about nothing. Besides the fact Koepka won in only nine holes of the 12-hole match, it wasn’t readily available on all channels, not unlike the previous matches. And that’s because there were simply too many sporting events on TV the day after Thanksgiving to make the event accessible via simulcasting.

That to me exposed a flaw in the event, and that may not be a problem in the future because the plan is to host two tournaments a year, one that won’t clash with the major sports events that prohibit the participation from star players from outside golf. The inclusion of football stars such as Tom Brady and Peyton Manning, and basketball stars such as Steph Curry expand the audience from simply golf fans.

I don’t think anything can replace the first Match event with Woods and Mickelson (Callaway Chrome Soft X), who was the driving force behind the annual charity match. It was not only an epic battle that ended up becoming 22 holes and concluded in near darkness, but it showed that two rivals could put aside their competitive differences and do something for the greater good of the game. Maybe Woods wasn’t into it as much as Mickelson, who clearly understands promotion, but Vegas betting shops were offering prop bets throughout the initial event. In a way, that tournament was the forerunner for what is now unlimited sports betting, certainly golf betting.

And 12 holes is just dumb.

And wasn’t the PGA Tour far more interesting when Brooks and Bryson didn’t like one another? I’m quite sure they are still not buddies even after hugging it out at the Ryder Cup as members of Team USA, but sports are always more entertaining when you have good feuds. And if you had to pick one player over the other in a series of matches, I’d always pick Brooks. He seems to understand how to peak at the right time and I think he has better concentration and nerves.

MORE PRIZE MONEY: The news that the PGA will be offering an increase of more than $105 million in its purses for 2022 is huge. This essentially puts to rest any thoughts of breakaway events for the tour’s elite players. It also follows a recent announcement that the European Tour is doubling its prize money. According to the PGA announcement, about $70 million of the increase in the Tour’s prize money for 2022 is a result of surging revenues and the rest from the Tour’s reserves. Let’s be honest, in all major sports there is a split of revenues between the leagues and their players, so in many ways this is the equivalent of that. The average purse will jump to $9.1 million, a rise of $1.1 million. The money may not matter to people watching the Tour, but keeping the players happy is paramount because they are, after all, the show.

MY BETTING BUDDY ANDY: I have written about my buddy Andy Bankuti and his interest betting on golf and his success. Well, Andy bet $25 on Talor Gooch (Titleist Pro V1) winning the RSM Classic. The odds on Gooch were 35-1, so that equated to an $875 payoff. Andy bet three others and still came out with a substantial profit. He always goes for players with long odds, rarely playing the favorites.

I was cheering for Mackenzie Hughes (Titleist Pro V1), who finished second, because as I’ve often written I’m from Canada and he’s Canadian.