I will ‘never’ play golf again full time after an accident

Tiger Woods holds his first press conference since his car accident on February 23 in Los Angeles at the Hero World Challenge Golf Tournament on November 30, 2021 in Nassau, Bahamas. Doug Ferguson / AP / Shutterstock

The end of an era. Tiger woods revealed that he will “never” play golf again full time after a car accident that left him several leg injuries.

The 45-year-old addressed his future in the sport in an interview with Golf Digest Monday, November 29 – and admitted that he has agreed that he will never be the same player he once was.

“I think something that’s realistic is to play the tour one day, never full time again,” he said. “It’s an unfortunate reality, but it’s my reality. And I understand that, and I accept it. “

He added: “I do not have to compete and play against the best players in the world to have a great life.… I can still participate in the game of golf. I can still, if my leg gets OK, I can still click from a tournament here or there. “

Tiger woods Larry Marano / Shutterstock

On February 23, the golf pro suffered serious leg injuries after losing control of his vehicle in Los Angeles.

“The first contact was with the center line, from there crossing the opposite lane, hitting the curb, hitting a tree, and there were several rollovers during that process,” Los Angeles County Sheriff Alex Villanueva said at a news conference after the accident.

The sports icon was wearing a seat belt when the incident occurred, which authorities said probably saved his life.

“At the end [of the car] was totally destroyed, the bumpers, everything totally destroyed, airbags triggered, all that, ”Villanueva said. “But fortunately the interior was more or less intact, which in a way gave him the pillow to survive what would otherwise have been a fatal crash.”

Woods’ injuries consisted of a broken ankle and two broken bones, one of which was a compound fracture. On the night of the crash, he underwent a “lengthy surgical procedure on his lower right leg and ankle after being taken to the hospital,” a statement said at the time of the crash.

The vehicle is resting on its side after a rollover accident involving golfer Tiger Woods along a road in the suburb of Rancho Palos Verdes to Los Angeles on February 23, 2021. Woods suffered leg injuries in a one-car accident. Ringo HW Chiu / AP / Shutterstock

The 11-time PGA Player of the Year gave his first interview after surgery in May and told Golf Digest that recovery from these injuries has “been a completely different animal.”

At the time, Woods would not comment on whether he thought he would return to his signature sport – but a month later, a source told exclusively Us Weekly that the athlete had focused on his recovery during “physiotherapy twice daily” sessions.

But “it has been a situation of two steps forward, three steps back,” the insider said. “He has had several surgeries on his right leg, and after his second surgery, the healing was much more difficult.”

When talking to Golf Digest in November, the World Golf Hall of Fame admitted: “I have so far to go [in my recovery] … I’m not even halfway there. I have so much more muscle development and nerve development that I have to do in the leg. ”

Tiger woods Ryan Kang / AP / Shutterstock

He continued: “At the same time, as you know, I have had five back surgeries. So I have to deal with that. So as the leg gets stronger, the back can sometimes work up. … It’s a hard road. ”

But in the months following his accident, he has learned to enjoy the little things in life, such as watching his 12-year-old son, Charlie, pick up his clubs.

“I’m just happy to be able to go out there and watch Charlie play, or walk in the backyard and have an hour or two alone without anyone talking, no music, nothing nothing,” Woods said. “I just hear the birds chirping. That part I have missed a lot.”

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