Tiger Woods says he expects to play golf again, but not very often, and that he doesn’t expect to return to the top of the sport because “that’s not a realistic expectation of me.”
He believes he can see himself playing in a few events, but not on a full-time basis.
His lengthy video interview with Golf Digest, with whom he has a financial tie, was released on Monday, only days before his first press appearance since his right leg was gravely wounded in a vehicle accident in the Los Angeles suburbs on February 23.
The Hero World Challenge is hosted by Tiger Woods.
When Woods tweeted a three-second video of him hitting a short iron with the phrase “Making progress,” it fuelled hopes of another comeback.
He didn’t make it sound like he was planning a comeback.
“I still have a long way to go,” he remarked. “I’m not even halfway there yet.” In my leg, I still have a lot of muscle development and nerve development to do. I’ve had five back operations at the same time, as you know. As a result, I’m having to deal with it. As the leg becomes stronger, the back may begin to act up.”
Woods was on his way to a television shoot at a golf club when he raced his SUV over a median and it fell down a steep slope on a winding, sweeping road in the Los Angeles suburbs, where he was recovering from another back treatment.
Doctors claimed he shattered many tibia and fibula bones in his right leg. A rod in the tibia was used to keep them in place. Additional ankle and foot injuries were stabilized with a mix of screws and pins.
He last competed with his son, Charlie, in the PNC Championship, and then had a fifth-back procedure that held him out for the first half of the year before the accident.
Woods has already accomplished one incredible comeback, winning the Masters in 2019 after undergoing his fourth lower back fusion surgery. Later that year, he won the Zozo Championship in Japan for his 82nd PGA Tour victory, tying Sam Snead for the all-time record.
“To have a nice life, I don’t have to compete and play against the best players in the world.” I had to climb Mt. Everest again after my back fusion. I had no choice but to do it, and I did. I don’t think I’ll be able to climb Mt. Everest this time, and that’s fine with me. Golf is still a sport in which I can engage. I can still click off an event here and there if my leg gets better.
“However, I don’t believe that climbing the mountain again and reaching the summit is a realistic ambition of mine.”
In March, Woods will be inducted into the World Golf Hall of Fame. The Masters will take place during the first full week of April. Woods didn’t have a timeline for his rehabilitation; all he said was that he wished it was going faster.
After his near-fatal vehicle accident, he said he could see himself in a career similar to Ben Hogan’s. Hogan had a limited schedule, but he still dominated the majors, winning all three that he competed in in 1953.
“I believe that playing the tour one day — never full-time again — but picking and choosing, as Mr. Hogan did, is a realistic option. “You choose a few events a year and play around with them,” he explained.
He remarked, “I suppose that’s how I’ll have to play it from now on.” “It’s a sad reality, but it’s also my reality.” And I’m aware of it, and I’m willing to accept it.”
