The ManicaPost
THE prospect of Tiger Woods teeing it up in a PGA Tour event in 2022 remains a possibility, a year on from a career-threatening car crash that made him feel “lucky to be alive”.
February 23 marks the first anniversary of Woods’ crash in California, where the leg and ankle injuries sustained were severe enough for him to already rule out a full-time return to competitive golf.
The crash came two months after Woods underwent a fifth surgical procedure on his back, with the lengthy rehabilitation that followed more strenuous than any setback he has previously experienced during his injury-plagued career.
Details about Woods’ condition have been scarce over the past 12 months, with the 46-year-old only speaking publicly on a handful of occasions about the incident, while speculation continues about when – or if – he’ll be seen playing golf on the PGA Tour again.
Woods was alone in an SUV in Rolling Hills Estates, on the outskirts of Los Angeles, when he was involved in a single-vehicle crash shortly after 7am local time (3pm GMT) on February 23.
The vehicle careered off the road “at high speed” and suffered extensive damage, hitting the centre kerb, a tree and then rolling several times before coming to rest on an embankment.
Data from the vehicle’s black box showed Woods was travelling between 84 and 87 miles per hour – on a downhill stretch of road that has a speed limit of 45 mph – shortly before his crash.
Los Angeles County Sherriff, Alex Villanueva, said the primary cause of the accident was driving at a “speed unsafe for the road conditions and the inability to negotiate the curve of the roadway”, with Woods believed to be travelling at 75 mph when the vehicle struck the tree.
Details were initially not going to be released about the crash due to privacy concerns, although Woods gave the authorities permission to do so.
Detectives did not seek search warrants for the athlete’s blood samples, which could have been screened for drugs or alcohol, while officials said there was no evidence of impairment or distracted driving.
Woods was extricated from the wreckage through the windscreen and taken via ambulance to Harbor-UCLA Medical Hospital for surgery, having suffered “significant” injuries “to his right lower extremity”.
Anish Mahajan, chief medical officer at the hospital, said at the time: “Comminuted open fractures affecting both the upper and lower portions of the tibia and fibula bones were stabilised by inserting a rod into the tibia.
“Additional injuries to the bones of the foot and ankle were stabilised with a combination of screws and pins. Trauma to the muscle and soft tissue of the leg required surgical release of the covering of the muscles to relieve pressure due to swelling.”
Woods was transferred later that week to Cedars-Sinai Medical Center to undergo “follow-up” procedures on his right leg, with the five-time Masters winner since revealing that amputation of his right leg “was on the table” due to the severity of his injuries.
It wasn’t until mid-March, some three weeks after the crash, that he was able to leave hospital and travel from Los Angeles to continue his rehabilitation at home in Florida, with Woods thanking people on social media for “the outpouring of support and encouragement”.
Woods described his rehabilitation as the toughest of his career, admitting that his initial goal was “just looking forward to getting outside” after being immobile for several months.
Woods was initially wheelchair-bound before slowly transitioning to crutches and then walking unaided.
Updates on Woods’ condition were limited for most of 2021 and he was only spotted in public occasionally during his recuperation, wearing a compression sleeve on his right leg, while a three-second clip of him hitting a wedge shot in November sent social media into a frenzy.
Woods admitted to being in pain just sitting down during his press conference ahead of the Hero World Challenge the following week, the first time he had addressed the media since the crash, where he opened up about the “dark moments” and “hard work” during his recovery process.
The tournament host was seen practising on the range and hitting the driver that week, with Woods telling reporters that he could “hit any club in the bag”, although admitted that walking around a golf course was still an issue.
Woods gave an update on his condition ahead of the Genesis Invitational last week, where he admitted that his recovery was going “not at the speed and rate that I would like” and that he was “frustrated” by the lack of progress being made.
Woods insisted that he was not ready to make a return to PGA Tour golf in the near future, despite making an impressive comeback at the PNC Championship in December.
He showed glimpses of his past best during a runner-up finish alongside his son, Charlie, in Florida, where the pair made 11 consecutive birdies on their way to a final-round 57 in the 36-hole scramble event.
“I can’t compete against these guys right now, no,” Woods said at the event. “It’s going to take a lot of work to get to where I feel like I can compete at these guys and be at a high level.”
Woods has since said the PNC Championship gave him a boost after a trying year and that he is “a lot stronger” than he was in December, although admitted at Riviera Country Club last week he’s still not sure when he can return.
“I wish I could tell you when I’m playing again,” Woods told a pre-tournament press conference. “I want to know, but I don’t. My golf activity has been very limited. I can chip and putt really well and hit short irons very well, but I haven’t done any long stuff seriously. I’m still working.”
Woods was asked by Jim Nantz whether it was fair to say he would play on the Tour in 2022, where he said: “You’ll see me on the PGA Tour, I just don’t know when.”
He also said “I can play that kind of stuff” when asked about the possibility of the Masters Par-3 contest, although though stopped short of committing to playing in the event.
Woods currently shares the record for most PGA Tour titles with Sam Snead, both holding 82 victories, while he is also just three behind Jack Nicklaus’ all-time major tally of 18.
Sky Sports’ Rob Lee said: “If Tiger gets to the point where he tees it up in a tournament and he can compete, because he can do walking, then he knows and understands Augusta National more than any other player. Could he win another Masters again, if he can get his leg where he wants it to be? Absolutely he can. – Skysports.
