Tiger Woods is in reflective mood after recent injury setback. He has nothing to “look forward to, nothing I can build toward”.
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Woods has had one top-10 finish this year, at the mostly star-free Wyndham Championship in August.
Unfortunately, golf without Tiger Woods seems to be the reality for quite some time to come.
“Where is the light at the end of tunnel?”
Because of the back issues, the 39-year-old Woods played in only 11 events in 2015 after he managed to start only seven tournaments the previous year. However, if his fellow professionals are anything to go by then golf fans should expect a few more twists in the Tiger Woods tale.
The interview is a deep dive straight from the source on all things Tiger Woods, from golf’s dress code to former girlfriend Lindsey Vonn. The resultant scandal affected him both professionally and personally – after his divorce, Woods’s form plummeted as he slid down the rankings. Woods says he is taking things one day at a time and if things did end, then he had had a pretty good run.
“I’m grinding my butt off and I said, ‘OK, you’re the No. 1 player in the world and you just lost eight balls on a home course that you could play blindfolded, ‘ and I shot a 54”. Despite the downbeat assessment of his immediate future, Woods said he would be satisfied if he failed to add to his astounding haul of 14 majors – four adrift of Jack Nicklaus’s 18 – and 79 wins, three behind Sam Snead’s 82. “I really miss being able to play soccer with my kids”.
Woods isn’t giving up on getting back to competitive golf levels, however. I’ve reconciled myself to it. It’s more important for me to be with my kids. It’s clear his two children, ages 6 and 8, have become the most important element in his life.
Woods said he has no idea how long it will take him to heal.
‘I have no answer for that.
“There is no timetable for this and that’s been the hardest mindset adjustment is that I don’t know”, he lamented.
“It’s tough as athletes, when you just don’t know”, Woods said of a timetable for a potential return to golf. He says he is doing a lot of walking, and plays video games to pass the time.
Although he is far from giving up hope of being able to resume his glittering career, Woods is adamant that he never wants to have any further operations in a bid to extend his playing days, and he is resigned to calling it a day if he is not fit enough to return to the world stage. “I’ve passed Jack on the all-time win list, just shy of Sam. I passed Sam basically a decade ago in major championships, but I’m still shy of Jack’s (majors record.) So I’ve had a pretty good career for my 20s and 30s”.
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He added: “I’ve taken the initiative with the kids and told them up front, “Guys, the reason why we’re not in the same house, why we don’t live under the same roof, Mommy and Daddy, is because Daddy made some mistakes”.
