Woods aims to play majors in 2023 season
MIAMI: Tiger Woods, still hindered by the leg injuries he suffered in a 2021 car wreck, said Tuesday (Wednesday in Manila) he is hoping to play the major championships in 2023 despite setbacks this year.
“My goal is to play the major championships and one or two more,” Woods said at a press conference before the Hero World Challenge at Albany in the Bahamas. “Physically that’s all I can do. I don’t have much left in this leg.”
Woods, who hosts the unofficial event that benefits his TGR Foundation, withdrew from the tournament on Monday because of painful plantar fasciitis in his right foot, which he said was related to the injuries from the crash outside Los Angeles in February of 2021.
The 15-time major champion revealed he had undergone two additional surgeries in 2022, although he declined to discuss specifics.
Woods appeared in just three professional tournaments in 2022 — making his return to elite competition with a 47thplace finish at the Masters in April. He withdrew after 54 holes at the PGA Championship, struggling with stamina after making the cut, then missed the cut at the Open Championship at St. Andrews. Woods said last year that in the aftermath of the crash it was “5050” as to whether part of his right leg would have to be amputated. On Tuesday he said it’s still a challenge to practice enough to be competitive while preserving his health. “How hard do you push it to make progress while not pushing it too hard to go off the edge and you set yourself back t w o , three days,” he said. The plantar fasciitis — inflammation i n the foot that causes heel pain — began when he began increasing his playing t i m e in preparation for this week’s tournament. “It was a tough decision, just because I want to play,” Woods said of pulling out. “I like playing, I like competing, but unfortunately, I can hit the golf ball and hit whatever shot you want, I just can’t walk. “And so I’ve had a few setbacks during the year that I still was able to somehow play through, but this one I just can’t.
“Only time can heal this one, and stay off my feet and get a lot of treatment done.”