Tiger says he’s ‘very confident’ he’ll play Masters
In a revealing interview with ESPN, Tiger Woods said that he is “very confident” he’ll return from knee surgery in time to compete in next year’s Masters, which begins April 9.
“I have six months off from the surgery,” Woods said, explaining his timetable for returning to competitive golf. “That takes me to January, then four months [before the Masters]. Ten months, that’s a long time.”
Woods added that the typical recovery of football players from similar ACL surgery is six to nine months.
“If they can do that in football, I hope I can do it in golf,” Woods said.
His left knee, which now shows just a tiny scar from his June surgery, is pain-free, Woods said, although he still cannot rotate the knee, which makes swinging a golf club impossible. He said he still needs to let the ligament heal and won’t swing a club until next year. Exactly when depends on when his surgeons let him. Right now, his rehabilitation consists primarily of weights, cardio exercises and swimming. The entire recovery time will be two years, Woods said, but after six months the ligament is 85 percent healed.
Pressed to give a return date (Bay Hill? Doral?), Woods said he didn’t know and that as an athlete, not knowing was frustrating. In addition to the uncertain return date, Woods said he still would have to “ramp up” his game to get it in tournament shape. He maintained, as always, that he would never enter a tournament he didn’t believe he could win.
“I’d like to be back soon, but I don’t know when soon is,” Woods said.
The arrival of Tiger and Elin’s second child has a much firmer date, sometime in February, than his return to golf. Woods told ESPN that he didn’t know if the baby’s arrival would impact his return date, but that it would affect him in other ways.
“You don’t get a whole lot of sleep,” Woods said, laughing.
Woods said he was surprised that he didn’t miss golf very much, but he said that was probably because right now he would play poorly. Woods said he didn’t watch much golf this season, catching only the last holes of the British Open and the PGA Championship, but he did tune in for the Ryder Cup.
“I felt great for the guys, especially for Phil [Mickelson] and me and [Jim] Furyk, the guys who’ve been on the team the longest,” Woods said. “Jim sent me a nice text that said, ‘I wish you could be there to experience this.’ Because we had been through the losses together.”
Posted by: mojo | Nov 2, 2008 11:01:09 AM
I personally don't care how people vote, What matters to me is how well they uphold themselves in the public eye,
Best wishes to Tiger and his family,
Posted by: TrentL | Oct 31, 2008 8:35:01 AM
he will never have a good knee, not because of the ligament repair, but because of damage to the surface of the knee that can never be repaired. He will have to modify his swing to take pressure of his operated knee on the followthrough.And he brings up an interesting point. He has lost interest in golf because he cannot play it well. Just like the rest of us who are abandoning golf because it is too difficult to hit a long, straight ball consistently.
Posted by: Marcus | Oct 31, 2008 2:30:40 AM
Don Kloss
What do you mean "we know how he will vote"!
This is a golf story, on a sports link! I can't believe you would have the unmitigated gall as to throw your racial prejudice around as if it were some sort of magnanimous pomposity. Further more, i don't want to hear your retort about your (black) best friend either. By the way, not all black/mixed race people get into "trouble". SO DON'T BE SO IMPRESSED..BIGOT!!!
Posted by: Terence | Oct 27, 2008 12:49:02 AM
Tiger. Hurry back, but take your time.
this PGA is like the days of old. Booorriinnnggg!!!!!.. zzzz..zzz..zzz...zz
Sergio Blows
and AK need to go somewhere with his wannabe L.A. Gangsta Belt Buckles!!
Posted by: Darren | Oct 26, 2008 2:22:21 PM
Educated even !! lol
Posted by: Darren | Oct 26, 2008 11:48:17 AM
Sorry, i did not realise we were in first grade here. If you are as well aducated as YOU think you are then surely you dont think an injured leg is as big a deal as cheating death ! or maybe im just missing the point.
Posted by: You | Oct 25, 2008 11:18:45 PM
I think Darren's grammar alone discredits his own opinion.
Posted by: Darren Hopwood | Oct 25, 2008 2:49:13 PM
Ok first things first !!!! im a huge Woods fan, hes great for the game and we are lucky to have him as the front man for our sport ...BUT winning the US Open with a spiral fracture !!! CUMON !!!! how nieve are we ???? it is manufacturing of a legend of the highest scale !!!!! and as for the guy who called it " the greatest Victory ever.....does this guy know that Hogan nearely died ??? or that Azinger overcame Cancer ??? so lets get back to reality, good YES....Greatest ever...NOT EVEN CLOSE !!!!
Posted by: david teraji | Oct 24, 2008 2:52:05 PM
I saw Tiger play at the US Open in person. Believe me, he was in much worse pain then what they showed on TV. His normal focused or smiling face grimaced when he walked off a tee box or up a small grade. I can't imagine how it felt when he swung. The most amazing golf performance in history. Tiger, take your time and come back fully healthy, then watch out PGA.
Posted by: Don Kloss | Oct 23, 2008 1:11:43 PM
I am impressed with the way Tiger has handled his extremely high profiled life.Never in trouble. Never says the wrong things. Does not express his Pres. choice. We know how he will vote, but not about to say like Oprah and Powell.
Posted by: Charles | Oct 22, 2008 4:36:20 PM
Please, please, please be healthy for the 2009 PGA. I already bought tickets.
Posted by: Brad Sanchez | Oct 22, 2008 1:51:30 PM
Tiger Woods is the best golfer that i seen play on T.V. and Woods i hope that you will walk out of knee surgery