Although he will be present as an organiser and host, Tiger Woods will undoubtedly be the main absence on the field this week during the Hero World Challenge in Bahamas. A tournament that the Californian golfer organises year after year and which, with the season already over, brings together 20 of the best PGA Tour players to compete and enjoy in a festive atmosphere.
As every year before this event, the Tiger has addressed the media in the lead-up. A long and interesting appearance in which, alongside current issues such as the negotiations between the PGA Tour, the DP World Tour, and the Saudi Sovereign Wealth Fund, or the controversy over whether players should be paid for playing in the Ryder Cup, he mainly referred to his physical condition and future plans.
Woods made it clear that he is still not ready to compete and has a long way to go after his latest back surgery to be ready. He did not want to give a specific date for his return and simply said he hopes to fulfil what he mentioned some time ago about being able to play one tournament a month. But it seems quite difficult for fans to enjoy their idol again before next year’s Masters.
“I’m not ready for the tournament yet, no. I’m still not. These are 20 of the best players in the world, and I’m not prepared enough to compete against them at this level. So, when I’m ready to compete and play at this level, I will,” Tiger began when asked about his absence this week from the ‘field’ of the Hero World Challenge.
His intentions for 2024 were very different. But physical problems made him change the plan: “Well, I didn’t think my back would work as it has this year. It was quite painful throughout the end of the year, and therefore I had another intervention to relieve the pain that was going down my leg. So, if my commitment in the future was to play once a month, yes, I could say the same, but I really don’t know. I’m just trying to rehabilitate and keep getting stronger and feeling better to give myself the best chance I can for next year.”
“This year was a bit… I had to put it aside and wasn’t as attentive as I needed to be, I didn’t play as much as I needed to for the major championships, and I didn’t compete well in them. I hope next year will be better, that I’ll be physically stronger and better. I know the procedure has helped me, and I hope to keep improving from there,” detailed the Californian.
Tiger confessed to feeling somewhat disappointed by the situation he currently finds himself in: “Yes, I’m disappointed. As I responded earlier, I’m still not physically ready to compete at this level. The times I’ve come back here, I was ready to start competing and playing again. Unfortunately, this time I’m not. I still have to keep training to have the best opportunities for next year and the upcoming events.”
No one better than Woods, given his medical history, knows what process to follow: “I think the best way to describe it is that I know what to expect coming out of the intervention. The relief I had, I didn’t have spasms, I didn’t have nerve pain, so it was fantastic, but I also understood that I still have a long way to go in rehabilitation and recovery.” And although there was doubt about whether he could have stopped earlier, the Tiger assures that his condition worsened gradually: “As the year went on, it progressively got worse to the point where it wasn’t improving with treatments, rest, or activations. Nothing was going well, and the MRI showed it.”
The Californian has not yet tested himself thoroughly while continuing his readaptation process: “I’m just trying to test it progressively, keep progressing without activating it. I don’t want any setbacks, I just want to keep progressing and give myself the best possible chance for next year. I feel like I’m getting stronger, more flexible, but I have a long way to go to be able to compete against these guys.”
What seems certain is that the desire to continue competing at the highest level has not yet faded for Tiger… nor does it seem it will in the future: “The fire still burns to compete. The difference is that the body’s recovery to do so is no longer what it was. I still love doing it, I love competing, I love competing in anything, whether it’s playing cards or playing golf. It doesn’t matter what it is, I love competing. That will never go away.”
Until then, he will have to keep working behind the scenes: “I’ve always liked going to the gym. We had to take some time off, but now I’m getting back to it, which is good. I miss the gym, the workouts… That’s what makes the sport incredible, the mental strength needed to be in the gym on those days when you don’t want to be there, and yet you have to push through it and know that those days will really help you in the end. I know those days in the gym allowed me to win tournaments when I was tired, win around the world with jet lag, win when I didn’t feel well. Maybe all that work in the gym doesn’t show at that moment, but over time it does.”
Luckily for Tiger, the worst of his injury seems to have passed: “Yes, the pain that went down my leg and the spasms were tough until the end of the year, so they have eased. I still don’t walk well, but it’s an issue with my ankle.” Now it’s a matter of getting stronger to compete again and, in the meantime, enjoying his son Charlie‘s progress: “As long as I can enjoy watching him play and teaching him and being part of his life and doing the activities that kids want to do instead of just lying there, still… Believe me, you know me, I’m a very active person, I like to go out and do things, and sitting on the sidelines is one of the hardest things for me to do.”
