Woods: ‘I will always play golf’

Tiger Wood is fueling his passion for golf. The American golfer showed up for the charity event of the JP McManus Pro-Am at Adare Manor in Limerick, Ireland, which kicked off on Tuesday.

Woods suffered compound open fractures in his right leg in February 2021 in a car accident. Despite the career-threatening injuries, Woods made a comeback at the Masters Tournament in April 2022, after rehabilitation and treatment. In May, he participated in the PGA Championship, but withdrew from the competition following the third round due to pain in his right tibia. The golfer skipped the U.S. Open in June and made appearance after a nearly two-month break.

Woods walked with a slight limp and rode a golf cart at times. In a press meeting after the event, Tiger Woods responded to a question asking why he did not show up for the U.S. Open, saying, “I had some issues with my leg, and it would have put this tournament in jeopardy, and so there’s no reason to do that.”

Asked if his leg got better, Woods said “definitely,” adding that he rode a cart because there was no need for walking. When a reporter asked when would he be able to fully recover, Woods said, “I don’t know, I really don’t. If you had asked me last year whether I would have played golf again, all my surgeons would have said ‘no,’ but here I am playing, and I played two Major championships this year.”

Tiger Woods demonstrated strong passion for golf. “I will always be able to play golf, whether it’s this leg or someone else’s leg, or a false leg,” said Woods. “I’ve had some very difficult days and some days which moving off the couch is a hell of a task […] I have my own two legs, which I tell you, I’m not going to take it for granted.”

Woods closed with a 7-over 151 to finish tied for 39th of 50 players at the JP McManus Pro-Am.


Dong-Wook Kim creating@donga.com