Tiger Woods of the United States reacts to his shot from the fourth tee during the third round of the 2024 Masters Tournament at Augusta National Golf Club on April 13, 2024 in Augusta, Georgia Tiger Woods on Tuesday said he did not know yet when he would return to competition following back surgery in September. Picture: Jamie Squire/Getty Images/AFP
Image: Jamie Squire/Getty Images/AFP
Tiger Woods on Tuesday said he didn’t know exactly when he would be back competing after his latest back surgery in September.
The 15-time major winner who turns 49 on December 30, did not commit to a specific date when talking about his recovery following surgery.
"I'm just progressively trying to test it, keep making progress without setting it off,” said Woods.
"I don't want to have any setbacks, just want to keep making progress and give myself the best chance going into next year as possible.
"I feel like I'm getting stronger, I'm getting more pliable, but I've got a long way to go to be able to compete against these guys.”
As tournament host, Woods was speaking ahead of the Hero World Challenge in the Bahamas starting on Thursday.
The 48-year-old has played just once in his own event in the last three years due to poor health following a serious car crash in February 2021.
Following the accident, Woods battled to recover after ankle surgery and has also struggled with long-term back injuries over the same period.
In fact, Woods had a sixth back operation of his career in September in an attempt to alleviate back spasms that have been evident in his limited appearances on the golf course in 2024. Since the car crash, Woods has only played 10 events in total.
"I'm not tournament sharp yet, no. I'm still not there. So when I'm ready to compete and play at this level, then I will.”
"The fire still burns to compete. The difference is the recovery of the body to do it is not what it used to be…
"That's part of age and part of an athlete's journey.”
"Whether my commitment going forward is once a month, yeah, I could say that all over again, but I truly don't know. I'm just trying to rehab and still get stronger and better and feel better, really give myself the best chance I can going into next year."
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