Tiger Woods will make his family, pressure-free return to competition next week at the PNC Championship in Orlando, ten months after being seriously injured in a car accident in Los Angeles.
It will be a smooth recovery for the 45-year-old former world No. 1 in golf.
He had been the victim in February 2021 of multiple open fractures, in particular in the right leg, which had raised fears the end of his career.
Tiger Woods will play this invitational tournament from December 16 to 19 alongside his 12-year-old son Charlie over a distance of 36 holes, in a "scramble" format, which allows you to take the best ball on each stroke played by the player. 'team.
“Even though the year has been long and demanding, I am very excited to end it playing with my son,” he wrote on Twitter.
The family tandem took 7th place out of 20, last year at the same time, in this tournament reserved for 20 winners of a Major, each accompanied by a member of their family.
“I still have a lot of work to do.
I fight, I work hard ”
I am "still far" from a possible return to competition, on the North American circuit (PGA Tour), however affirmed Tiger Woods on Saturday, on the sidelines of the Hero World Challenge which he sponsored in the Bahamas, with 20 invited players. , and which counted for him for the PGA Tour and the world ranking. Winner of 15 Grand Slam tournaments, Woods has resumed training but can not yet take the risk of making a normal swing, at high speed, and wants to avoid at all costs a relapse in full rehabilitation, he explained to the American channel NBC.
“Playing golf for a laugh is easy,” Woods said last week, “but playing on the circuit and being ready to play to score well against the best players, on the most demanding courses, is is really another matter ”.
“I am still far from it.
You will have to wait a while longer before seeing me on the circuit with the required level of play, ”he concluded, for his first public interview on television since his accident in February.
Although it's been a long and challenging year, I am very excited to close it out by competing in the @PNCchampionship with my son Charlie.
I'm playing as a Dad and couldn't be more excited and proud.
- Tiger Woods (@TigerWoods) December 8, 2021
Earlier last week, Woods previously told Golf Digest magazine that he didn't see himself returning full time to the US PGA Tour, let alone playing a few tournaments each year. “I still have a lot of work to do. I fight, I work hard, but I am not at the end of my troubles, ”he confided.
Woods' return to a course, even for a family competition, is bound to trigger a significant "buzz" as he has 6.5 million followers on Twitter and each of his next appearances promises to be widely commented on.
The American golfer Justin Thomas, neighbor of Woods in Florida, had recently judged probable in a podcast the return on the greens of Tiger Woods: "I know he will try," he said.
“But,” he added, “I don't see him playing again if he can't play well.
"
In 2019, after eleven years of major shortage, and several major back and knee operations, Woods won his 5th Augusta Masters, his 15th Grand Slam tournament, then tied the record for the number of titles on the PGA Tour (82) until then owned by only Sam Snead.