In an exclusive interview with Golf Digest, Tiger Woods spoke publicly for the first time since his car accident earlier this year regarding his future in golf.
Speaking to interviewer Henni Koyack, Woods said, "I think something that is realistic is playing the tour one day, never full time, ever again, but pick and choose, just like Mr. (Ben) Hogan did. Pick and choose a few events a year and you play around that. You practice around that, and you gear yourself up for that. And you play. I think that's how I'm going to have to play it from now on. It's an unfortunate reality, but it's my reality. And I understand it, and I accept it."
Woods had the interview at his South Florida home, and he was seen walking into the room with what he called a slight "hitch" in his stride, an indication of the serious leg injuries he suffered in a car crash near Los Angeles in February. The 45-year-old golf pro fractured the tibia and fibula in his right leg.
Woods says during his arduous rehabilitation, simple things like listening to birds sing or watching his son play have taken on a greater meaning.
"I have so far to go ... I'm not even at the halfway point. I have so much more muscle development and nerve development that I have to do in my leg. At the same time, as you know, I've had five back operations. So I'm having to deal with that. So as the leg gets stronger, sometimes the back may act up ... It's a tough road.
"I'm just happy to be able to go out there and watch Charlie play, or go in the backyard and have an hour or two by myself with no one talking, no music, no nothing. I just hear the birds chirping. That part I've sorely missed."
Last week, Woods posted a video of him flushing a short iron, which fueled significant hype and speculation on a comeback.
Woods, however, suggested he is nowhere near ready to compete on the PGA Tour.
He told Golf Digest that he will "never" be a full-time player on the PGA tour ever again, but he still hopes to "click off a tournament here or there."
On his first press conference since the car crash, Woods also revealed that he almost lost a leg and that amputation "was on the table."
He said, "I'm lucky to be alive, but also to still have the limb."
Woods will be attending the charity tournament Hero World Challenge in the Bahamas this week. The 20-player tournament benefits Woods' foundation.
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