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Tiger Woods has made peace with the fact that his days as a full-time pro golfer are done following a horrific car crash earlier this year.
In his first interview since the incident that he granted to Golf Digest, the iconic athlete addressed his future in the sport that he helped reshape with his prowess.
“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,” Woods told interviewer Henni Koyack via Zoom from his South Florida home. “It’s an unfortunate reality, but it’s my reality. And I understand it, and I accept it.”
The 45-year-old Woods suffered severe leg injuries on Feb. 23 when he was involved in a serious, single-car rollover accident in Rancho Palos Verdes, California. In his interview, Woods told Koyack his tremendous road to recovery remains long and daunting.
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“I have so far to go … 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.”
Still, playing golf on the pro level is not the be-all and end-all for Woods, he said.
“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,” he said. “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. 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.”
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