Tiger Woods said Tuesday that he is not physically ready to return to PGA Tour action and has “a long way to go” after undergoing another procedure on his back.
Speaking to reporters in the Bahamas at the Hero World Challenge, Woods said he is still rehabilitating his back following September’s microdecompression surgery in hopes he can be strong enough to reach his goal of playing at least once a year. month.
“I didn’t think my back was going to go like it did this year,” Woods said. “It was quite painful towards the end of the year and so I had another procedure done to relieve the pain I had in my leg.
“So if my commitment in the future will be once a month, yes, I could say it all again, but I really don’t know. I’m just trying to rehab and still get stronger and better and feel better, really give myself same”. “The best opportunity I can have for next year.”
Woods, who will turn 49 on Dec. 30, played just five events in 2024, including all four majors for the first time since 2020. He needed to withdraw from the Genesis Invitational in February and then missed cuts at the PGA Championship and US Open. and The Open, while finishing 60th at the Masters.
The 15-time major champion announced last week that he would withdraw from this week’s Hero World Challenge, which benefits the Tiger Woods Foundation, because he doesn’t feel “tournament ready” at this time.
“No, I’m not there yet,” Woods said. “And these are 20 of the best players in the world, and I’m not smart enough to compete against them at this level. When I’m ready to compete and play at this level, I will.”
After suffering serious injuries during a car accident in February 2021, Woods has continued to insist that he wants to play golf as long as he can, despite growing calls for him to retire from some segments of the golf universe.
“The fire is still burning to compete,” Woods said.