Tiger Woods "Limping" Cancels Fulltime Golf Career

Tiger Woods hopes to play on the PGA Tour again, but never as a full-time player, something he called “an unfortunate reality” he has accepted, according to a 30-minute video interview with Golf Digest posted online Monday.

“I think something realistic is playing the Tour one day — never full-time, never again — but pick and choose, just like Mr. Hogan did and you play around that,” said Woods, 45, referring to the nine-time big champion Ben Hogan, who played sporadically, albeit effectively, after breaking several bones in a devastating car accident in 1949. “You practice around that and you prepare for it. I think I’ll have to play it that way from now on. It’s an unfortunate reality, but it’s my reality. And I understand it, and I accept it.”

On Feb. 23, Woods suffered open fractures to both the tibia and fibula in his right leg in a unilateral accident outside of Los Angeles. The fractures were described as shattered, meaning the bones were broken in several places. After emergency surgery, he had to be hospitalized for three weeks. At the time, Woods said, he was faced with the option of having his right leg amputated.

Police determined that Woods was driving approximately 85 mph in a 45 mph zone on a winding road when he lost control of his sport-utility vehicle. He was not charged with any legal violation.

“There was a point when — I wouldn’t say it was 50-50 — but it was damn close if I walked out of that hospital with one leg,” Woods said in the video of a Zoom interview, which began with the smiling golfer stroking toward the camera without noticeably limping, at his South Florida home.

Woods, who has had several back surgeries, including a merger in 2017, returned to professional golf and won the 2019 Masters, his 15th major championship, a comeback Woods refers to on Monday.

“After my spinal fusion, I had to climb Mount Everest one more time,” he said. “I had to do it, and I did it. This time I don’t think I’ll have the body to climb Mount Everest, and that’s okay. I can still participate in the game of golf. I can still, if my leg is okay, click through another tournament here or there. But in terms of climbing the mountain again and getting all the way to the top, I don’t think that’s a realistic expectation of mine.”

He added: “I don’t have to compete and play against the best players in the world to have a great life.”

On Tuesday, Woods will make his first formal public appearance since the crash, at a press conference at the Hero World Challenge, a 20-man tournament in the Bahamas that benefits Woods’ foundation.

On Monday, he described the stages of his rehabilitation over the past nine months. One of his first memories after the crash, Woods said, was asking for a golf club that he held in his hands while in the hospital. He later spent three months in a hospital bed, mostly at his home. He was then able to move in a wheelchair, then on crutches, and finally in a walking shoe.

“I’ve had some rough days and some tough setbacks,” said Woods, who thought his recovery would be faster. “But I keep moving forward and I can walk again.”

Woods posted a three-second video last week of him swinging a short iron on a practice course, but warned he was far from ready to play competitive golf.

“I still have so far to go,” Woods said. “I’m not even halfway through yet. I have so much more muscle and nerve development that I need to do in my leg. At the same time, as you know, I’ve had five back surgeries, so I’m dealing with that. As the leg gets stronger, the back can sometimes kick in.”

During the video interview, Woods seemed to spend more time talking about his 12-year-old son Charlie than any other topic. Charlie has played in a succession of junior golf events, with Woods attending lately. The two have also spent time chipping and setting matches in a practice facility. Woods advised Charlie on the mental aspects of competitive golf, especially how to recover from a bad hole.

“I said, ‘Son, I don’t care how angry you get. Your head could go off, as far as I’m concerned, as long as you’re 100 percent committed to the next shot,” Woods said. “That’s all that matters. That next shot should be the most important shot of your life. It should be more important than breathing. Once you understand that concept, I think you’ll get better. And as the rounds went on all summer, he has gotten so much better.”

Throughout the video, Woods was upbeat and even funny, although he was more serious in discussing the next steps in his rehab.

“There is a lot to look forward to, but there is still a lot of work to be done,” he said. “And I have to be patient and make progress at an aggressive but not excessive pace.”

He added: “It was a difficult road, but to get to this side is fantastic.”

November 30, 2021