Tiger Woods Confirms Intent To Return To PGA Tour Following Serious February Car Crash

Only a week on from the swing video (opens in new tab) that brought the golfing world into meltdown, Tiger Woods has revealed, in an interview with Golf Digest, that he will not return on a full-time basis to the PGA Tour, but will instead pick and choose the tournaments he plays in.

“I think something that is realistic is playing the tour one day—never full time, ever again—but pick and choose, just like Mr. [Ben] Hogan did. Pick and choose a few events a year and you play around that,” Woods said to Golf Digest’s Henni Koyack. 

“You practice around that, and you gear yourself up for that. I think that’s how I’m going to have to play it from now on. It’s an unfortunate reality, but it’s my reality. And I understand it, and I accept it.”

Woods, who has a history of serious knee and back surgeries, followed on from the statement, saying “I don’t have to compete and play against the best players in the world to have a great life. After my back fusion, I had to climb Mt. Everest one more time. I had to do it, and I did. 

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"This time around, I don’t think I’ll have the body to climb Mt. Everest, and that’s okay. I can still participate in the game of golf. I can still, if my leg gets okay, I can still click off a tournament here or there, but as far as climbing the mountain again and getting all the way to the top, I don’t think that’s a realistic expectation of me.”

With the 15-time Major champion recovering well from his serious car crash (opens in new tab) in February, Woods also revealed that he feared his leg would actually be amputated following the accident. The 45-year-old sustained open fractures to the tibia and fibula and, at one point, there was a very real possibility of losing his right leg.

“There was a point in time when, I wouldn’t say it was 50/50, but it was damn near there if I was going to walk out of that hospital with one leg," he said.

"Once I (kept it), I wanted to test and see if I still had my hands. So, even in the hospital, I would have (girlfriend) Erica (Herman) and (friend) Rob (McNamara) throw me something. Throw me anything.”

Following his release from hospital, Woods began his rehabilitation process, with three months in a hospital-type bed in his home being followed by a wheelchair. The 45-year-old then progressed to crutches, which allowed him to regain independence and move around at his own will.

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"It's been a hell of a road, it's been a long one and a sore one but I'm making some really positive strides," Woods added.

"I've had some really tough days and some setbacks here and there, but overall everything is progressing nicely. I just wish I could do everything that I used to do but I'm not quite there yet."

Woods is scheduled to hold his first press conference since the accident at the Hero World Challenge event in Albany on Tuesday, an event that he has hosted for a number of years now.

However, the 15-time Major champion did add "I still have so far to go - I'm not even at the halfway point. I have so much more muscle development and nerve development that I have to do in my leg. At the same time, I've had five back operations. So as the leg gets stronger, sometimes the back may act up - it's a tough road."

Although it is unclear as to what tournament will mark Woods' return, what we do know is it feels so good to see Tiger back in the golfing environment.