Woods "Full-time play is difficult"... What about the Hero World Challenge?

Interview with Golf Digest USA Ahead of Hero World Challenge Opening Night on the 2nd: "Rehabilitation Is Ongoing"

[Asia Economy Reporter Kim Hyun-jun, Golf Specialist] "It is no longer possible to play full-time."

The "Golf Emperor" Tiger Woods (USA, photo) said in an interview with Golf Digest on the 30th (Korean time), "After injuring my back, I climbed Mount Everest several times, but now it is impossible," adding, "Even if I return to the field someday, it will be in a way where I only participate in a few tournaments a year." He has been undergoing treatment and rehabilitation since a car accident in February. He expressed determination, saying, "There is still a long way to go," and "I have to work harder moving forward."

Woods spent three months lying in bed before going through the process of standing up again with a wheelchair and crutches. He recalled, "I almost had to have my leg amputated," and said, "At the hospital, I asked my girlfriend Erica to throw me anything to check if I still had feeling in my hand." He explained, "My father, a former special forces member, taught me to endure pain by cutting it into pieces," and added, "The past nine months have been hell, but I could endure two to three hours at a time, and by accumulating that, I have come this far."

It is interesting that Woods recently released a video swinging golf clubs at the practice range ahead of the Hero World Challenge, a special event on the PGA Tour where he is the host. Locally, expectations have risen that he will attend the awards ceremony, considering that his personal yacht, the Privacy, is already docked in the Bahamas. He fired up his fighting spirit, saying, "When I enter the gym, endorphins still surge," calling it "the driving force behind many victories."

Henrik Stenson (left) is taking a commemorative photo with tournament host Tiger Woods right after winning the 2019 Hero World Challenge. Bahamas=Getty Images/Multivitz