Tiger Woods says ankle pain is gone after surgery, returning to golf Woods to play at Hero World Challenge He was forced to withdraw from the Masters due to an injury sustained in April and was unable to play in the Bahamas.
The 15-time major champion then had to undergo surgery to fix the bone in his ankle.
“There will come a time when I can no longer win. When that time comes, I will walk away,” Woods said.
“I love to compete. I love the camaraderie, being around the guys.”
The 47-year-old American said earlier this month that he was “ok” with his right ankle, which was surgically repaired to treat post-traumatic arthritis after a 2021 auto race.
The collapse of that left him unable to play for almost 14 months.
However, he hinted that further injury issues remain.
“The only way to fix it was to replace it or fuse it,” Woods said of his ankle. I spent 6 months doing nothing. The first few months were really tough, but now things are going in the right direction.
The five-time Masters champion has since struggled to walk 18 holes, but his son Charlie’s performance at Nota Begay III After finishing the Junior Golf National Championship earlier this month after being spotted caddying, he decided it was time to get back into action.
“I hit a lot of golf balls to get Charlie ready for the event, and after the event I thought, ‘Maybe I can do it,'” Woods said.
“I was hitting golf balls a lot trying to get Charlie ready for the event. Then, post-event, I thought, ‘I can probably do this,'” Woods said.
“I’ve played a lot of holes. I haven’t used a pencil and a scorecard.
“My game feels rusty. I haven’t played in a while. I’m excited to compete and play. I’m just as curious as all of you are to see what happens.
“I can tell you this, I don’t have any of the pain I had in Augusta in my ankle. Other parts are taking the brunt of the load. But that surgery was a success.”
The tournament, a 20-player invitational event that also includes Justin Rose, Scottie Scheffler, Matt Fitzpatrick and Viktor Hovland, opens Thursday in Albany, Bahamas. Woods said he hopes to play in one tournament in May of 2024 and this event will help plan next season’s schedule.
