The umpteenth return of Tiger Woods: 13 operations, a limp and 1,328th in the world ranking

About to turn 48 years old and ranked number 1,328 in the world ranking, Tiger Woods continues to be one of the most attractive athletes in the world, one of those living icons who refuses to look at the emergence of new golf talents from the outside.. This Thursday he will play a competitive round again seven months after his last appearance at the Augusta Masters, where he had to retire and undergo surgery again. It was his thirteenth intervention, which fused his right ankle. “I'm as curious as you are to see what happens,” the Californian told the press, confessing that he has stopped suffering from the unbearable pain with which he lived until the green jacket event.

Woods has decided to return to the Hero World Challenge, the tournament that he himself sponsors in the Bahamas and which has a field reduced to only 20 players, although it distributes points for the world ranking.

Tiger's body is that of a kind of cyborg with seams on his back, knees, neck, heels, legs… Since the penultimate intervention, on February 23, 2021 after the dramatic accident where they had to reconstruct his leg, Woods has a noticeable limp.

It's been 25 years since his career definitively took off to legend. “My body will tell you that it is much longer than 25 years,” confessed Tiger, who made the decision to return after caddying for his son Charley.. “I saw that I was able to recover every day. I was still doing a lot of things, walking on the beach, hitting balls and trying to stay ready for Charlie's event.. Then I started to feel like I could probably do it.. “I spoke to the committee to see if there was an option for them to give me a place.”.

Woods will go out with his great friend Justin Thomas at 5:52 p.m. Spanish time in a tournament that Jon Rahm won in 2018. This year there will be no Spanish representation.

Example of Rafa Nadal

Woods also had words of praise for his friend Rafa Nadal, with whom he somehow feels identified. “Well, I think what Rafa has done is extraordinary. He won the Australian Open with a broken foot. He is very tough and more than competitive and knows about Father Time. Unfortunately, like in all sports, you age. I don't want him to leave “.

Woods has not returned with the intention of walking around. “Absolutely,” he responded when asked if he was in a position to win. “I love playing, I love competing, I miss being here with the boys, the atmosphere, the jokes… What motivates me is how much I like to compete. There will come a time, I haven't fully realized it yet. , in that I will not be able to win again. When I arrive, I will leave,” he added, revealing his plans for 2024.. “My best case scenario is one tournament a month and I think that's realistic.”

PIF and PGA

Woods was friendly and close to the press and did not avoid any of the most controversial and current issues.. “I would say my reaction was surprise as I'm sure many of the players were surprised by what happened,” Woods answered when asked about the PIF (Saudi government's public investment fund) and the PGA Tour agreement.. “I was very surprised that the process was what it was.. We were very frustrated with what happened and we took steps to make sure that the players were not going to be left out of the process like what happened.. So part of that process was getting on the Board and accepting that position.”

Woods, who apparently rejected an offer close to $800 million annually to join the Saudi tour, has decided to fly the flag of the PGA Tour and be part of the board of directors.. The clock is against the American Circuit since the deadline to close the agreement is December 31 and there are still many issues to be clarified, “All parties are talking and we are working intensely to try to reach an agreement.. we would like to reach an agreement on December 31. That's what the agreement said in the summer and all parties understand it. “But there are other options.”