Tiger Woods has left golf fans heartbroken after admitting there isn’t much left in his surgically repaired right leg, suggesting he’s on the verge of retirement. Speaking at a press conference before the Hero World Challenge at the Albany in the Bahamas, Woods opened up about his immediate future in golf.
Still hindered by the leg injuries he suffered in a car accident in 2021, the 46-year-old said he is hoping to play the major championships in 2023 despite setbacks this year. However his comments won’t fill fans with much confidence.
“My goal is to play the major championships and one or two more,” Woods said. However he admitted: “Physically that’s all I can do. I don’t have much left in this leg.”
Woods, who hosts the unofficial event that benefits his TGR Foundation, withdrew from the tournament on Monday because of painful plantar fasciitis in his right foot. He said the ailment was related to the injuries from the crash outside Los Angeles in February of 2021.
“I can hit the golf ball and hit whatever shot you want,” he said. “I just can’t walk.”
The 15-time major champion revealed he had undergone two additional surgeries in 2022, although he declined to discuss specifics. Woods appeared in just three professional tournaments in 2022 – making his return elite competition with a 47th-place finish at the Masters in April.
However he withdrew after 54 holes at the PGA Championship, struggling with stamina after making the cut. He then missed the cut at the Open Championship at St. Andrews.
Woods revealed last year that in the aftermath of the crash it was “50-50” as to whether part of his right leg would need to be amputated. On Tuesday he said it’s still a challenge to practice enough to be competitive while preserving his health.
“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 said.
