Tiger Woods Gets Candid About Leg Injury Suffered in Car Accident

Tiger Woods is not holding back about the injuries he suffered in a single-car accident in February. The golf superstar spoke to reporters Tuesday morning at the Albany Golf Club for the Hero World Challenge, an event he hosts for his foundation. Woods realizes he could have lost his right leg due to the severity of the injury. 

“I’m lucky to be alive and also have a limb,” Woods said Tuesday in the Bahamas, per ESPN. This was the first news conference Woods held since the accident which happened on Feb. 23 in Southern California. Woods didn’t answer questions about the accident as he referenced the police report that was issued in April. Woods was in the hospital for three weeks before spending three months in a hospital-like bed. He said it was “50-50” as to whether part of his leg would be amputated. 

“This one’s been much more difficult,” Woods said. “The knee stuff was one thing. That’s one level. Then the back. With this right leg. … it’s hard to explain how difficult it is. Being immobile for three months. Just to lay there. I was just looking forward to getting outside. That was a goal of mine. Especially for a person who lived his entire life outside, that was a goal.” On Monday, Woods spoke to Golf Digest and said he will never play golf full-time again. But the goal is to return to the PGA Tour and compete in selected events. 

“As far as playing at the tour level, I don’t know when that’s going to happen,” he said. “Now, I’ll play a round here or there, a little hit and giggle, I can do something like that. The USGA suggested Play It Forward [the tees]. I really like that idea now. I don’t like the tees on the back. I like Play It Forward. Come on, let’s move it up, let’s move it up.  

“To see some of my shots fall out of the sky a lot shorter than they used to is a little eye-opening, but at least I’m able to do it again. That’s something that for a while there it didn’t look like I was going to.” Last week, Woods posted a video of him hitting a shot from the driving range with the shot “making progress.” In his career, Woods has won 82 PGA Tour events, tied for the most all-time with Sam Snead.