The entire golf world has been wondering what Tiger Woods’ prospects as a competitor could imply since he shared a video of him striking a full-swing wedge shot to his social media accounts last week. At least one enthusiastic bettor even bet on Woods to win the Masters in 2022.
We didn’t have to wait long for additional information from the individual himself. In an interview released Monday, Woods discussed his recent troubles with Golf Digest. The long and short of it is that Woods feels he will be able to compete in a few PGA Tour events per year after progressively recovering from his February automobile accident. However, playing the Tour full-time, like he did for 18 events in 2018, is not feasible.
“I still have a long way to go… “I’m not even halfway there,” Woods stated. “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, so I’m dealing with it.”
So, what constitutes realism? For GolfTV’s Henni Koyack, the interviewer, that was a natural next question.
“I think playing the Tour one day is realistic — never full-time, ever again — but picking and choosing, like Mr. [Ben] Hogan did,” Woods added. “You choose a few events a year and play around with them.” You prepare yourself for it by practicing around it. That’s probably how I’ll have to play it from now on. It’s a sad truth, but it’s also my reality. And I’m aware of it, and I’m willing to accept it. I’m just hoping I’ll be able to have it timed at the correct competition.”
Woods didn’t indicate when he thinks he’ll be able to play on the PGA Tour again, but he did give Tiger fans plenty of information they’ve been waiting for. It’s possible that Woods may return to the PGA Tour — and he sounds upbeat! — something that seemed impossible nine months ago, when he was undergoing hours of surgery to repair injuries acquired in his accident.
Throughout the interview, Woods appeared content, despite the lengthy journey ahead of him. He claims that his present health situation has kept him from being frustrated when watching his friends compete on the PGA Tour, knowing that he isn’t close to competing himself.
“Small goals lead to larger goals,” Woods explained. “I learned that from my father.” It’s something I’ve tried and it works.”
Woods stated that chipping and putting with his son, Charlie, has been a lot of fun, but that he can’t put in the same amount of practice time as he has in the past. As Woods described it, he still has his hands, which means he can feel and touch things, but there’s still a lot of work to be done.
