Tiger Woods has made his first public comments since undergoing his fifth back surgery, with the 15-time major champion unsure of whether he will be able to play at the Masters.
When asked if he plans to play in April at the Masters, which he won in 2019, Woods replied, “God, I hope so.”
But the 45-year-old winner of 82 US PGA titles, tied with Sam Snead for the all-time record, said it would depend on how he recovers.
“I feel good. I’m a little stiff,” Woods said on Sunday’s TBEN television broadcast of the US PGA Genesis Invitational, where Woods is hosting the tournament.
“I have another MRI scheduled so we’ll see if the ring is finally healed and then I can start doing more activities,” Woods said.
“Still in the gym, still doing the mundane things you need to do for rehab, the little things where I can start to gravitate toward something more.”
Woods didn’t have a schedule for a comeback and said to play in the final round on April 11 at Augusta National – “I have to get there first. I don’t have much leeway. I don’t have any. that one back. “
Woods underwent a microdiscectomy after performing alongside his son Charlie at an event in December, but he’s not sure when his next competitive outing might be.
“I don’t know what the plan is,” Woods admitted. “The plan right now is to move on tomorrow and start moving forward.”
Woods said he intended to make sure to work with the medics for his return and “do it right.”
Woods said he is using a long putter than before so he doesn’t lean that far.
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