Tiger Woods says he won’t play golf full-time again: ‘I accept it’

Months after suffering serious injuries in a car crash in Southern California, golfing legend Tiger Woods said he does not expect to play the sport full-time ever again.

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“It’s an unfortunate reality, but it’s my reality,” Woods said in an interview with Golf Digest. “I understand it, and I accept it.”

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Speaking with the magazine for his first in-depth interview since the February crash in Los Angeles County left him with shattered tibia and fibula bones in his right leg, Woods said he would likely “pick and choose a few events a year” to play.

“I don’t have to compete and play against the best players in the world to have a great life,” he said, according to Golf Digest. “After my back fusion, I had to climb Mt. Everest one more time. I had to do it, and I did. This time around, I don’t think I’ll have the body to climb Mt. Everest, and that’s OK. I can still participate in the game of golf. I can still, if my leg gets OK, I can still click off a tournament here or there.”

Woods has spent months recovering after authorities said he lost control of a 2021 Genesis GV80 and wrecked on Feb. 23. He told Golf Digest that his recovery has been frustrating, as he expected it to progress much quicker than it has, and that he thought at one point he might not be able to keep his injured leg. He said it was particularly rewarding when, after spending months recovering in bed at his home, then being confined to a wheelchair, he was able to use crutches and regain his independence.

“I hadn’t been able to do the one thing I love to do: I love to go outside and just be outside,” he told Golf Digest. “Sometimes I just crutch and lay on the grass for an hour because I want to be outside.”

Last week, Woods posted a video of himself swinging a golf club on social media with the caption, “Making progress.” He told Golf Digest, however, that he has a long way to go before he can compete on the PGA Tour again.

Making progress pic.twitter.com/sVQkxEHJmq
— Tiger Woods (@TigerWoods) November 21, 2021

“I’m not even at the halfway point,” he said. “I have so much more muscle development and nerve development that I have to do in my leg. At the same time, as you know, I’ve had five back operations. So I’m having to deal with that. So as the leg gets stronger, sometimes the back may act up. … It’s a tough road.”

Woods, a 15-time major champion, last played in the PNC Championship with his son, Charlie, in December 2020. Woods is tied with Sam Snead for the most victories in PGA Tour history at 82 wins.

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