GOING FOR DISTANCE
Tiger trying to extend career as long as he can stay competitive
The viability — and, at some point, the end — of Tiger Woods’ career has been a topic the 47-year-old has thought about. It’s also something that others have considered for him. Across his 25-minute press conference Tuesday ahead of the Genesis Invitational, Woods was asked about LeBron James’ scoring record, Tom Brady’s retirement and Aaron Rodgers’ looming decision. All three athletes are younger than him.
The nature of golf has allowed Woods to stretch a career deeper and deeper — attempting returns, like this weekend at the Riviera Country Club, that athletes on the brink of retirement in other sports simply couldn’t.
“I don’t have 300-pound guys falling on top of me,” Woods said. “It’s just a matter of shooting the lowest score. We have the ability to pick and choose and play a little bit longer.”
Woods will compete in his first PGA Tour event since the 2022 British Open, trying to cap his latest comeback from plantar fasciitis and a sore ankle.
The 15-time major champion doesn’t know how this week will unfold, but he told reporters that “if I’m playing in the event, I’m gonna try and beat you.” It’s not “in my DNA” to take any other approach.
“I would not have put myself out here if I didn’t think I could beat these guys and win the event,” Woods said.
The most pressing question for Woods will be his ankle’s endurance. He hasn’t walked 72 holes — or 18 on four consecutive days — in a while, he said. Woods knows that he can still hit the shots, but “it’s been hard physically.”
So he said he built up his strength by walking long distances, stressing his foot and analyzing any next-day inflammation.
“I may have overdone it a couple of times here and there,” Woods said. “But here I am.”
His February 2021 car accident was another injury setback in a career filled with them. Woods had surgery for leg fractures, and he “didn’t know if I was gonna play again” before competing in three majors last year. A similar fear engulfed him earlier in his career following his back fusion and series of surgeries.
“When you get a little bit older and you get a little more banged up, you’re not as invincible as you once were,” Woods said. “And that’s just the reality of all of us just aging.”
Woods knows his body will eventually reach an ultimate tipping point. It might come “sooner than later,” he conceded. But for now, Woods will employ the pick-andchoose approach for coordinating tournaments. The Genesis Invitational was a bit of a late surprise. The word “Augusta,” which he would play at the Masters in April for the 24th time, emerged from his mouth to cap an answer, too.
“Then after this event,” he said, “we’ll analyze it and see what we need to do to get ready for Augusta.”