NASSAU, Bahamas -- Tiger Woods has gone through two back surgeries since he last played a golf tournament 15 months ago. He had another back surgery that knocked him out of the Masters for the first time in 2014. He had four knee surgeries before that.None of that matters to Ernie Els when Woods returns to competition this week.Els is more curious about whats going on in his head.The talents there. Its been proven. It doesnt go away, Els said. Its what you think of yourself. Its what you think where you are. We look at this great player, but hes not seeing the same stuff in his own mind. A lot of us are like that. When youve achieved as much as he has ... its a shock to the system not to play as good as you have been. To look at other people looking at you like, `Hey, youre not the same guy, thats hard to take.Els, perhaps more than any other player, has a deep golfing connection with Woods.He was the player Woods sought out 20 years ago at Royal Lytham & St. Annes when deciding whether to turn pro. They had so many meaningful battles, and Woods almost always got the better of him. Els was runner-up to Woods seven times, the most of any player.Els designed the Albany golf course where Woods comes back from the longest layoff of his career. He plans to be in the Bahamas, and he is as eager as anyone else to see how a guy who won 79 times on the PGA Tour, including 14 majors, stacks up against a generation that grew up in awe of how Woods played golf.The Hero World Challenge is a holiday tournament with an 18-man field and no cut. Even so, it commands as much attention as any tournament this year. Woods has been a star attraction his entire career, and the appetite is even stronger after an absence that dates to Aug. 23, 2015.I cant wait to watch, either, just to see him play, Ryder Cup captain Davis Love III said. The last time I saw him play, I won. Its hard to believe its been that long. Ive seen his swing. Ive seen him on video. Hes sent me clips, and Ive heard the description of how he feels. Im excited to see him play.Youve got to start somewhere, he added. And I want to see the start.Woods already has had one false start. He signed up to play the Safeway Open, only to pull out three days later because he said he felt vulnerable. That followed a week as assistant captain at the Ryder Cup, and cramming in practice the week before with results that made him want to wait.Love won the Wyndham Championship last year in August at age 51, and it could easily have served as a model for Woods -- a power player no longer in his prime, not among the biggest hitters anymore, but with enough experience and talent to find a way to score and to win.It has to motivate him that Vijay Singh is lasting until 53, that Ernie is still competitive, that Davis is still competitive, Love said. He knows Jack Nicklaus won the Masters in 1986 playing part-time. He knows what everybody has done. I know hes working hard not to come back and be average. He wants to come back and win again.That might be expecting too much, way too soon.Woods hasnt won a tournament since his seven-shot victory in the Bridgestone Invitational in 2013, the year he won five times and was PGA Tour player of the year. He hasnt had a serious chance at winning since his tournament three years ago when it was at Sherwood Country Club. Zach Johnson holed a wedge from the drop zone to force a playoff, and won when Woods missed a 5-foot putt in the playoff.No other player has ever faced so much scrutiny, especially now.I wont be able to turn the TV on, or the radio on, or look at my phone without knowing what he shot, Jim Furyk said. The expectations are so high. ... Every pitch shot, every putt, every 3-footer, its not under public scrutiny like he has. I guess you live by the sword, die by the sword. Thats why hes Tiger Woods. Its a tough situation.Woods said his health had nothing to do with pulling out of the Safeway Open, and Els believes him. He says Woods is in better shape than some players in their 20s. Then again, he has accumulated plenty of emotional baggage over the last several years, on and off the golf course.They physical side is not an issue. Its the other side thats an issue, whatever is blocking him, Els said. But youve got to get on the horse. You cant be standing on the sidelines. Youve got to get out there. ... Hopefully, he plays well, really, for his own goodness, his own sake, his own mental sake. If he plays well, it would be great. Hell have hope and start a good schedule. If it goes the other way, hes behind the 8-ball again. cheapjerseysforsale . After a lengthy wait, persistent rain finally forced the postponement of the Nationals game against the Miami Marlins on Saturday night. The teams, and a few thousand fans, waited nearly four hours from the 7:05 scheduled start time before an announcement was made shortly before 11 p. www.cheapjerseysforsale.net . -- San Francisco 49ers linebacker Ahmad Brooks was fined $15,570 by the NFL on Wednesday for his hit on Saints quarterback Drew Brees last Sunday. http://www.cheapjerseysforsale.net/ . According the Toronto Star, a knee injury will keep Sundin out of the lineup, which includes former teammates Gary Roberts, Darcy Tucker, Tie Domi and Curtis Joseph. http://www.cheapjerseysforsale.net/ . The team says the Spain international has a muscle pull in his right leg. Barcelona hosts third-division side Cartagena in the return leg of their round-of-32 tie after winning their first meeting 4-1. cheapjerseysforsale.net . -- New England Revolution goalkeeper Matt Reis is retiring after a 16-year career to become the goalie coach for the Los Angeles Galaxy. The good news for the Chicago Blackhawks is they have depth in goal to withstand the loss of Corey Crawford for a few weeks.That depth will be tested again as one of the leagues top rookies takes the United Center ice for the first time Sunday when the Blackhawks face red-hot Patrik Laine and the Winnipeg Jets.Chicago (16-7-3) returns home after a 3-1 loss to the Philadelphia Flyers on Saturday. But the loss overshadowed news before the game that Crawford -- a five-time 30-game winner -- will miss up to three weeks after undergoing an emergency appendectomy.Hes the best goalie in the league, him and Carey Price (of the Montreal Canadiens), you could put them in a category by themselves, backup Scott Darling said of Crawford. He brings it every night. Hes been great for us all year. And hes just a great guy. ... I hope hes getting better. The Blackhawks tweeted Saturday evening that Crawford traveled back to Chicago with the team. If Crawford misses three weeks, he could return Dec. 27 at home against Winnipeg. Until then, Chicago is scheduled to play 10 games -- including two matchups with the New York Rangers, who lead the league with 3.64 goals per game through Saturday.Darling, who hasnt started at home since Nov. 6, is 4-1-1 with a 2.81 goals-against average and a .907 save percentage overall this season. Hes won all three starts on Chicagos West Side, despite having allowed 10 goals on 105 shots faced.Defenseman Niklas Hjalmarsson isnt worried.We have plenty of confidence in (Darling). We all know how well he can play, and I think hes more than ready for an opportunity to play some games in a row, he said. ... I think hes going to be doing a great job as hes been doing, pretty much every time hes been playing for us.Since a loss in their season opener, Chicago is 10-0-2 at the Madhouse on Madison, having scored at least four goals seven times. Over those 12 games, Artem Anisimov and Marian Hossa have scored a team-best seeven goals for the Blackhawks, and five of Hossas markers have come in the last five games.ddddddddddddThe Blackhawks may need a lot from their offense while the defense has the task of trying to slow down Laine, arguably the Jets best player -- certainly their most exciting -- since Teemu Selanne. Laine scored a goal and assisted on Bryan Littles game-winner 17 seconds into overtime as Winnipeg (12-13-2) topped the St. Louis Blues 3-2 on Saturday.It feels good ... but now we have to forget this game and focus on (Sunday), said Laine as the Jets look for back-to-back road wins for the first time this season.Laine, taken second overall in Junes NHL Draft, shares the NHL lead in goals with Sidney Crosby (16) and leads all rookies in points (23). One of those goals came in a 4-0 victory over the Blackhawks on Nov. 15 in Winnipeg.So far, Laine has not been as productive playing on the road. In 14 games, the 18-year-old has three goals and five assists, and Winnipeg is 1-5-2 when he fails to register a point away from the MTS Centre.Saturdays win snapped a six-game road losing streak, and was more impressive as the Jets played without leading scorer Mark Scheifele (13 goals, 13 assists) due to a lower-body injury.We dont think this is a long-term (injury) or he wouldnt have taken the morning skate. He wasnt as mobile as he needs to play, Jets coach Paul Maurice said after the win, adding that Scheifele could be in the lineup against the Blackhawks.Following its relocation from Atlanta in 2011, Winnipeg is 4-4-0 in Chicago, and has been limited to a total of one goal while dropping the last two matchups.Hopefully we come into Chicago and have some legs (Sunday), that would be another two big points for us, said Little, who has two goals and an assist in two games after missing 23 with a lower-body injury. 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