Centurion - As the Genesis Invitational concluded on Sunday, Tiger Woods, as the tournament host, was quizzed about his return to competitive golf - and he simply cannot say when that will happen just yet.
Hordes of golf fans would love to see Woods back on the fairways of the PGA Tour as soon as possible, but that’s not realistic anytime soon. The greatest attribute of Woods throughout his 15-major winning career has been his mind, and during his physical peak in his 20s he was simply unstoppable when he was on form.
Now, his body is ailing. Not just because he’s 46-years-old, but mainly due to his devastating ankle injury following his car accident on February 23 last year.
In November, Woods spoke about the extent of his injuries following the crash, and suggested amputation was a possibility.
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“I got very lucky, and I am so thankful to all the doctors here that have put the leg back together again because I could have easily lost it. I still have my own limb, so I’m very thankful for that,” said Woods.
Not many who hero worship Woods will know of Zimbabwean professional golfer Marc Cayeux. But they should. He too, was in a serious car crash and was close to having his foot amputated. Cayeux, who turned 44 on Tuesday, has some unfortunate injury similarities with Woods.
Cayeux is a nine-time winner on the Sunshine Tour and also claimed victory on the European Challenge tour three times. But that was all before, at the age of 32 in September 2010, Cayeux was involved in a horrific car accident that he was lucky to escape alive. Since then, he has had 28 surgeries to his left ankle.
He can no longer walk the course and is in constant pain when he tries to play golf. He has also requested that he be allowed the use of a cart during rounds, to avoid the excruciating pain.
One of the many surgeries Cayeux has undergone is ankle fusion, which severely limits the mobility of the joint and is often a last resort. Despite the ankle fusion, he still battles severe pain while walking.
In fact, Cayeux and Woods have played together before. In 2005, the relatively unknown Cayeux was paired with Woods for the opening round of the World Golf Champions NEC Invitational in August that year. Cayeux was actually playing that week with a burnt hand from a braai just before the event. Woods said that he was impressed by the play of Cayeux that week as he dealt with his injury and pain while playing.
“You will see me on the PGA TOUR, I just don’t know when.” @TigerWoods joins Jim Nantz and @nickfaldo006 to discuss his rehab and return to golf. pic.twitter.com/tKzhH8pnJ5
— GOLF on CBS ⛳ (@GOLFonCBS) February 19, 2022
Fast forward to April 2008, Woods underwent knee surgery. Woods famously won the US Open in June ‘on one-leg’ in an 18-hole playoff as he limped badly as he walked the course. Two days later, he announced he would be having more knee surgery.
That was at age 32, and what followed would be the worst period of Woods’ career and personal life, as his sex scandal came to light at the end of 2009. His physical injuries also continued to mount after that, with problems with his back, neck and knees continuing to plague the superstar.
He did regain the number one-ranking in 2013, and six years later won his last major - The Masters at Augusta.
Now the question has shifted from when he will win his next major, to when will Woods play his next event? For that he needs to be able to walk 18 holes, and, by his own admission, he is a long way from doing that.
Tiger Woods has won the Masters.
His 81st PGA TOUR win.
His 15th major title.
His 5th green jacket.#LiveUnderPar pic.twitter.com/xC8165hypE
Of course, through the years Woods has not revealed much about the extent of his injuries at the time, and ensures he makes headlines when he makes a sudden return.
This time, he’s been much more open about how much he has struggled with his ankle.
The comeback from all the adversity Woods faced to win the 2019 Masters will go down as one of the best moments in golf, and possibly sporting history.
His achievements in the game are superhuman. That’s why people believe he’s capable of doing it again, but if the man himself keeps telling us he’s human and his return to golf is not going to happen in the near future - it’s time we started believing him.