Even though his career is full of comebacks and rehearsals against all odds, Tiger Woods is keen to complete the biggest comeback of them all.
Thirteen months after suffering a serious car accident that left him with fractures in his right leg, the 46-year-old American announced this week that he intends to participate in the Masters tournament, which kicks off today in Augusta.
"Right now I feel like I'm about to play," said the man who has won this tournament five times before, "I have no doubts about what I can do physically from a golfing point of view."
To understand how big and surprising the current comeback is, one has to go back to the same day in February 2021. Woods then drove his car in the Los Angeles area, and at a speed of 140 mph lost control of the vehicle. A few small fractures. He himself admitted that "the possibility of losing his leg completely was on the table." .
Tiger Woods.
Did not try to prevent the accident, Photo: Reuters
In this situation, and taking into account five previous back surgeries, five more in the knees and a career of more than two decades at the highest levels, one would have been asked to assume that this accident was the end of the story.
In the first stage Woods was indeed only grateful for being able to get out of bed after a month in the hospital and walk around the house a bit, but over time the competitive urge returned to him.
"I worked hard," Woods explained of how he brought himself into the current situation.
"My staff was tremendous. I was lucky with the excellent surgeons and actually worked with a physiotherapist every day. It was hard, very hard."
Not the first time
Woods did not want to end his career in this way, so he slowly returned to practice and set himself the main goal: the Masters Tournament in Augusta.
When asked if he was in pain, the American replied, "Yes, every day anew."
He noted that the hardest part is walking from hole to hole, but that did not stop him from showing a great deal of confidence in himself.
For example, when asked if he thought he had a chance to win after not competing for almost a year and a half, returning to regular training only in recent days and dropping to 973rd in the rankings, Woods replied: "Yes, definitely. I would not have come here if I did not think I could win ".
Tiger Woods.
Exciting rehearsal, Photo: EPA
Given Woods history, it is clear that these are not false declarations.
His myth was built from those moments when he won against all odds, like winning the 2008 U.S. Open while suffering a ligament rupture and left leg strain.
For Woods, the current tournament is special for another reason: it marks 25 years since the American won his first major tournament - the 1997 Masters when he was 21 and became the first black player to win a title, a win that changed his life and the face of global golf.
"I can not believe it's been so long," Woods said, "I'm glad to be here again and draw from the energy of this place."
In 2019 he returned to the Masters after a series of injuries and surgeries and won it for the first time in 14 years, in what was his first major title since 2008 and one of the greatest comebacks in golf history.
Now he's back again, perhaps to complete an equally big comeback.
Were we wrong?
Fixed!
If you found an error in the article, we'll be happy for you to share it with us