Dr. Oz is confident Tiger Woods can bounce back from the injuries he suffered in a car crash. The 60-year-old health expert spoke to TMZ about Woods’ injuries and said that Woods should be able to golf at a high level in a year. Woods suffered major damage to his right leg after being involved in an accident in Los Angeles on Tuesday morning.
“He’s had a bunch of surgeries and bounced back when no one thought he could,” Oz told TMZ. It was also noted that Woods “had the luck of having his accident near a major trauma center with expertise in this area.” Woods was transported to the Harbor-UCLA Medical Center where he underwent emergency surgery. Oz thinks Woods’ mental toughness will play a big factor in his recovery.
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“He still has the most important component to recovery which is mental resilience,” Oz. stated. “This man can do what no one else can do. So with the strength of his mind and fortitude, I do think he’ll be back and I think he’ll come back to full speed.” Oz believes it will be as least six months until Woods’ leg bones are “recovered from the original form. He then said “Allow him to recover from the emotional, physical trauma from this procedure. I’ll bet on Tiger Woods every time.”
Another reason Oz believes Woods will be able to compete again is Washington Football Team quarterback Alex Smith. In 2018, Smith suffered a compound fracture of his tibia and fibula and nearly lost his leg and life. However, Smith returned to the field this past season and ended up winning Comeback Player of the Year earlier this month. Oz said that Smith’s comeback proves an injury like his and Woods doesn’t mean it’s career-ending.
But as Oz mentioned, Woods has dealt with a number of injuries in his career. Before the crash, Woods was recovering from back surgery which was the fifth back surgery of his career. On Sunday, Jim Nantz of CBS Sports asked Woods if he will be ready for the Masters in April.
“God, I hope so,” Woods said. “I’ve got to get there first. A lot of it’s based on my surgeons, my doctors, my therapists, and making sure that I do it correctly. This is the only back I got, so I don’t have much more wiggle room left here.”
