Tiger Woods has admitted he’s not sure whether or not he’ll return to motion after being “not sharp enough” to characteristic on the Hero World Problem within the Bahamas.
The previous world No 1 has solely made 11 aggressive begins since his career-threatening automobile crash in February 2021, with Woods lacking the lower in three of the 4 majors this season.
Woods underwent surgical procedure in September to alleviate “back spasms and pain” that hampered his restricted enjoying schedule, with the 48-year-old unable to make his newest comeback on the occasion he hosts.
“I’m not tournament sharp yet,” Woods stated in his pre-tournament press convention. “I’m still not there. These are 20 of the best players in the world and I’m not sharp enough to compete again.
“I’m upset. I am simply not bodily prepared but to compete at this degree. The occasions I’ve come again right here, I used to be prepared to start out competing and enjoying once more. Sadly, not this time.
“I still need to keep training to give myself the best chance going into next year and the events ahead.”
Woods withdrew in the course of the second spherical of February’s Genesis Invitational because of sickness after which completed final of those that made the lower at The Masters, earlier than making early exits on the PGA Championship, US Open and The Open.
“I didn’t think my back was going to go like it did this year,” Woods defined. “It was fairly painful all through the tip of the 12 months and therefore I had one other process finished to it to alleviate the ache I had taking place my leg.
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Todd Lewis from the Golf Channel assessed whether or not Tiger Woods will proceed to seem at main championships after lacking the lower at The Open
“Whether my commitment going forward is once a month [like he targeted for 2024], yeah, I could say that all over again, but I truly don’t know. I’m just trying to rehab and still get stronger and better and feel better, really give myself the best chance I can going into next year.
“This 12 months was form of – I needed to toss it away and I wasn’t as sharp as I wanted to be and I did not play as a lot as I wanted to going into the key championships and I did not play properly at them.
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“Hopefully next year will be better, I’ll be physically stronger and better. I know the procedure helped and hopefully that I can then build upon that.”
Woods was contained in the world’s prime 5 in 2019, the 12 months he claimed his fifth Masters victory earlier than including a record-equalling 82nd PGA Tour title on the Zozo Championship, however has since dropped outdoors of the world’s prime 1,000 because of his restricted enjoying schedule.
“The fire still burns to compete,” Woods added. “The distinction is the restoration of the physique to do it’s not what it was. I nonetheless love doing it, I like competing.
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“I love competing in anything, whether we’re playing cards or we’re playing golf. No matter what it is, I love competing. That’s never going to leave.
“So far as the restoration technique of going on the market and doing it repeatedly and once more and doing it constantly at a excessive degree, I am unable to. For some cause, the physique simply will not recuperate prefer it used to. That is a part of age and a part of an athlete’s journey.”
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