Tiger Woods offered his first in-depth update on his progress since he crushed his right leg in an early morning car crash nine months ago.
About the most we’d heard from Woods was a video he posted last week showing him taking an easy swing with an iron. It was captioned, “making progress.”
In an interview with Golf Digest today, Woods revealed just how far he has left to go.
“I think something that is realistic is playing the tour one day—never full time, ever again—but pick and choose, just like Mr. [Ben] Hogan did. Pick and choose a few events a year and you play around that,” Woods told Golf Digest’s Henni Koyack. “I think that’s how I’m going to have to play it from now on. It’s an unfortunate reality, but it’s my reality. And I understand it, and I accept it.”
It was a stunning admission for the ultra-competitive Woods, who is among the winningest golfers ever. He is tied with Sam Snead with 82 career tour wins; one more would make him the winningest golfer of all time. He also has won 15 major tournaments, three behind Jack Nicklaus’ record.
Woods had already had 10 surgeries by his count before the accident, including five back surgeries. He stormed back to prominence after several injury-riddled seasons by winning the 2018 Tour Championship and then the 2019 Masters. He admits that his goals now are not so lofty.
“I don’t have to compete and play against the best players in the world to have a great life,” he said. “After my back fusion, I had to climb Mt. Everest one more time. I had to do it, and I did. This time around, I don’t think I’ll have the body to climb Mt. Everest, and that’s OK.”
Woods also revealed just how bad his leg was injured in the February crash.
“There was a point in time when, I wouldn’t say it was 50/50, but it was damn near there if I was going to walk out of that hospital with one leg.”
The article goes on to reveal that, even after leaving the hospital, the golf legend spent months “in a hospital-type bed in his home” before progressing to a wheelchair and then crutches.
Woods is expected to participate in his first press conference since the crash tomorrow morning at the Hero World Challenge event in the Bahamas.
SOURCE : Deadline
