Tiger Woods might not return to the golf course as the Tiger fans remember. Woods, 45, is opening up about the future of his golf career following the car accident he was involved in back in February. The golf legend recently told Golf Digest it’s unlikely he would return to golf full-time. However, the plan is for Woods to return and play in a few events per year.
“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
in a Zoom interview. “You practice around that, and you gear yourself up for that. 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.”
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Woods was involved in a single-car accident in Southern California on Feb. 23. He suffered major injuries to his right leg and foot and has been recovering from his injuries ever since. Woods said when he was at the hospital, there was a chance that his leg had to be amputated.
“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. Once I [kept it], I wanted to test and see if I still had my hands. So even in the hospital, I would have [girlfriend] Erica [Herman] and [friend] Rob [McNamara] throw me something. Throw me anything.”
Once Woods was released from the hospital, he spent three months in a hospital-type bed in his home rehabbing. He then was in a wheelchair followed by crutches, leading him to move around and not relying on people to take of him. “Adding that part into my day-to-day life was so rewarding because I’d been stuck in a house,” he said. “Granted, it’s a pretty nice house I’ve built for myself, but I hadn’t been able to do the one thing I love to do: I love to go outside and just be outside. Sometimes I just crutch and lay on the grass for an hour because I want to be outside. Missing the contact of a golf ball hit properly is one of the better feelings.”
As Woods continues to rehab, he will attend a news conference for the Hero Word Challenge on Tuesday, according to ESPN. This is a tournament Woods hosts for his foundation and will take place in the Bahamas.
