When news broke in February of 2021 that Tiger Woods was involved in a car crash, social media was ablaze with fans and professional players alike voicing their concern for the star and wishing him the best in terms of recovery. The extent of the crash however, was such that the last two years have been a challenging time for Woods, testing him physically and mentally, as he works to overcome the injuries sustained during the crash.
Though Woods was slated to make a comeback for this week’s Hero World Challenge after being sidelined for the past five months with no play, his return to the golf course was short-lived as he ended up withdrawing from the tournament due to plantar fasciitis. Speaking about his health however, it seems that while Woods might be fighting to make a return to the sport he loves so much, simply walking around is something of a miracle for the man who experienced a horrifying car crash. As the New York Post reveals, Woods’ presence at the Genesis Invitational in February as a competitor might now be in jeopardy, too.
Currently, Woods is looking to play the PNC Championship, the father-son event that will see him team up with son, Charlie on December 17 and 18. He’s also scheduled to play in “The Match”, a 12-hole exhibition with Rory McIlroy, Jordan Spieth and Justin Thomas on December 10.
But at 47, Woods is proving that sometimes you can’t outrun your health. No matter how skilled you might be, eventually time catches up to you and in his case, having endured the strain of a car crash two years ago, his body is still grappling with a number of injuries. As Woods revealed, it’s going to take “probably a month or two of rest” before he considers playing in a tournament for which he has to walk, as he explained the tournaments he’s currently slated to play all allow him to ride in a cart.
“It was the ramping-up process that did it,” said Woods. “It’s a balancing act, right? How hard do you push it to make progress while not pushing it too hard to go off the edge and you set yourself back two, three days?” He added, “That’s been the balancing act the whole year. And trying to do that, get ready for this event, I did a lot of beach walks trying to simulate the sand out here and my foot just did not like that very much.”
Though Woods explained that it was a “tough decision” to make because he just wants to play, ultimately the call to withdraw was made with the knowledge of putting his body and recovery first. “I like playing, I like competing, but unfortunately, I can hit the golf ball and hit whatever shot you want, I just can’t walk.”
He added, “So, I’ve had a few setbacks during the year that I still was able to somehow play through, but this one I just can’t. Only time can heal this one and stay off my feet and get a lot of treatment done.”
As Woods explained, the plantar fasciitis is linked to the damage in his leg from the car crash almost two years ago. “As I was ramping up and had to walk more, the worse it got. When you get plantar fasciitis, the worst thing you can do is walk, and I was walking more and more and more, trying to get my legs ready for this event, and I just kept making it worse. I can hit golf balls, it’s the walking that just hurts.”
Going forward now, Woods hopes to play the four major championships and “maybe one or two more” tournaments.
“That’s physically all I can do,” he said. “I don’t have much left in this leg. So, gear up for the biggest ones and hopefully, you know, lightning catches in a bottle and I’m up there in contention with a chance to win and hopefully I remember how to do that.”
