Tiger Woods holds first press conference since car accident originally appeared on NBC Sports Washington
Tiger Woods fielded questions ranging from what he remembers about his rollover car accident in February 2021 to his future on the PGA Tour during a 38-minute press conference on Tuesday morning at the Hero World Challenge in the Bahamas.
Woods addressed the media for the first time since suffering severe injuries in the crash earlier this year that almost cost the 15-time Major winner his right leg.
“I don’t foresee this leg ever being what it used to be,” Woods admitted. “The clock is ticking. I’m getting older, I’m not getting any younger. All that combined means a full schedule and a full practice schedule — and the recovery it would take to do that — no, I don’t have any desire to do that. But to ramp for a few events a year as I alluded to yesterday like Mr. Hogan did and he did a pretty good job at it … there’s no reason I can’t do that.”
Woods said he has come off long layoffs before and won, which makes him feel like he “knows the recipe” to recover and compete at a high level on the PGA Tour — even in a limited fashion.
“I just have to get to a point where I feel comfortable enough where I can do that again,” he told reporters.
Woods was asked if he could ever see himself winning another major event or any tournament on tour.
“I have to prove it to myself at practice first,” he said.
The five-time Masters champion did admit that he still had a long way to go in his recovery and would not commit to playing the Par-3 course at Augusta in the spring.
However, he remained committed to the PGA Tour going forward when asked about other leagues and competition.
“I have decided that I’m supporting the PGA Tour. That’s where my legacy is,” he said.
Woods said that amputation was on the table back in February after he lost control of his SUV on a winding road in the Los Angeles coastal suburbs, striking a raised median and flipping several times.
“I’m lucky to be alive and still have the limb,” Woods said of his right leg that was shattered in the crash.
“I am very grateful that someone upstairs was taking of me.”
Toward the end of the press conference, Woods was asked whether he would ever speak about the day of the crash and what he remembers leading up to the accident. He deflected that question, opting to discuss the aftermath of the accident and what his mindset was like laying in a hospital bed.
“Friends and family kept me insulated from what was being said,” Woods said. “I had access to a TV in the hospital, but I was just watching sports. I refused to turn on the local channels. I didn’t want to go down that road … My mind wasn’t ready.”
Woods concluded that he expects the media to “poke and prod” and that he understands that there will be more questions about the day of the accident. But, he asked the press to keep the story focused on him.
“They can poke and prod at me all they want, just stay away from my family,” he said.
Woods is the host of the Hero World Challenge, which starts Thursday for 20 elite players in an unofficial holiday event he has held for two decades. The tournament raises money for the Tiger Woods Foundation.
