Tiger Woods suffered serious injuries when he was involved in a single-car accident earlier this year, and the 15-time major champion confirmed on Tuesday that he is fortunate he did not lose a limb.
Tiger spoke with the media for the first time since the crash ahead of the Hero World Challenge, which is a tournament he hosts. He was asked by a reporter how close he was to losing a leg, and he said amputation was “on the table” at one point.
Woods suffered severe fractures to his lower-left leg. There were questions about whether he would ever walk again, let alone play golf. Tiger said he feels fortunate to be alive and still have both of his legs.
Tiger shed some light on his comeback plans during an in-depth interview this week. What he said makes even more sense now that we know he nearly lost a leg.
Tiger Woods has dropped some hints recently that he is working toward playing competitively on the PGA Tour again, but the 15-time major champion clearly understands things will never be the same for him.
Woods spoke with Dan Rapaport of Golf Digest for his first in-depth interview since his February car accident. He said he is planning to return to the PGA Tour, but he doesn’t expect to ever play full time again.
“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,” Woods said. “You practice around that, and you gear yourself up for that. 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.”
Tiger also said he feels differently about his latest comeback than he did when he returned from back fusion surgery years ago. He described a feeling of wanting to “climb Mt. Everest one more time,” which he did by winning the Masters in 2019. He doesn’t think his body will cooperate this time.
“This time around, I don’t think I’ll have the body to climb Mt. Everest and that’s OK. I can still participate in the game of golf,” Tiger said. “I can still, if my leg gets OK, I can still click off a tournament here or there. But as far as climbing the mountain again and getting all the way to the top, I don’t think that’s a realistic expectation of me.”
There is certainly a lot working against Woods. He’s 45, has a history of back problems, and is now going through another grueling rehab after suffering multiple leg fractures in February crash. It was remarkable that he won the Masters two years ago. Repeating the feat would seemingly be impossible.
All of the questions we heard about whether Tiger would ever play again were understandable. Golf fans will be happy to hear that he is not giving up, even if expectations should be tempered.
Former professional golfer Lee Elder has died.
The PGA Tour announced on Monday that Elder has died at the age of 87. Elder made history in 1975 as the first black golfer to play in the Masters.
No cause of death has been revealed.
Elder was honored during the opening ceremony at the Masters earlier this year.
Elder played in the Masters several times. His best finish was 17th place in 1979. The Texas native won four times on the PGA Tour and eight times on the Champions Tour. He finished 11th at the 1974 PGA Championship and 11th at the 1979 US Open.
Photo: Apr 8, 2021; Augusta, Georgia, USA; Honorary starter Lee Elder is seated at the 1st tee during the first round of The Masters golf tournament. Mandatory Credit: Michael Madrid-USA TODAY Sports
Friday night’s Duke-Gonzaga game was a big contest in the college basketball world, and a few heavy hitters were at the game.
ESPN showed Floyd Mayweather and Brooks Koepka sitting courtside for the game, which took place at T-Mobile Arena in Las Vegas, Nev.
Mayweather lives in Vegas, which helps explain his presence at the game. Koepka was in Vegas taking on Bryson DeChambeau for the latest installment of “The Match” earlier in the day.
Duke won the game 84-81 to hand Gonzaga its first loss of the season.
Wondering what Mayweather and Koepka were doing sitting next to each other? Maybe they both just wanted premium seats for the premium event and coincidentally were next to each other. Or maybe we’re going to see them starring in a buddy cop movie together next.
Brooks Koepka and Bryson DeChambeau put their feud aside to help the U.S. win the Ryder Cup two months ago, but they are looking to renew it for the latest installment of “The Match.” Koepka’s custom golf cart should help with that.
Koepka shared a photo of his cart for “The Match” on Twitter Thursday night. The cart has several decals that feature phrases trolling DeChambeau.
It’s hard to pick a favorite. We’d guess the one that cuts the deepest for DeChambeau is “Let’s Go Brooksy.” That, of course, is a phrase fans used to taunt DeChambeau during events. DeChambeau was so angered by it that he had an extremely heated exchange with a fan and had the PGA make a rule about the phrase.
The hostility between Koepka and DeChambeau was very real at one point, but it seemed like a lot changed at the Ryder Cup. At the very least, we can expect plenty of trash talk during “The Match” on Friday afternoon.
Phil Mickelson and Tom Brady have seemingly become close in recent years, but Phil may have been given the impression that the relationship meant more to Brady than it actually does. The six-time major champion found that out the hard way on Monday night.
Julian Edelman was a guest on “ManningCast” during the New York Giants-Tampa Bay Buccaneers game. The former NFL receiver shared a number of funny tidbits about Brady during the telecast, including that Brady calls many of his teammates “babe.” That was very disappointing for Mickelson.
It’s pretty well known that Brady calls everyone “babe.” His current and former teammates could tell you that, and so could many members of the media. Surely he didn’t mean to give Mickelson the wrong impression.
We hope Phil isn’t too hurt. He and Brady make an incredibly entertaining golf team, and we would hate to see this put a strain on that.
Tiger Woods has been working his way back from serious injuries that he suffered in a car accident earlier this year, and he hit another huge milestone recently.
Woods shared a video on Sunday that showed him hitting balls on the driving range. He had some sort of brace or sleeve on his right leg, but his swing looked as smooth as ever.
A photo of Woods surfaced last month that showed him on a golf course with a club in his hand, but this is the first time we have seen him hitting balls since the accident.
Tiger suffered multiple leg fractures in his February crash. There were questions about whether he would ever play again, but he seems determined to make yet another comeback.
Woods, 45, has overcome his infamous scandal and multiple significant back injuries. He’s likely still a long way from being able to compete at a high level again, if he ever will. Still, it’s a positive sign that he is back to working on his game.
Rory McIlroy entered the final round of the DP World Tour Championship in Dubai on Sunday as the 54-hole leader, but he finished five shots back of winner Collin Morikawa following a brutal collapse. It would be an understatement to say the four-time major champion was unhappy with his performance.
McIlroy shot a 2-over 74 on Sunday. His round featured a three-putt bogey on the 16th hole and a 38 on the back nine. The 32-year-old was photographed with a ripped shirt after he finished. He reportedly tore it in anger while walking over to submit his scorecard.
McIlroy has won the DP World Tour Championship twice, and many felt he would cruise to his third victory at the event. He caught a horrible break on the 15th hole when his pitch shot hit the flag stick and rolled into a sand trap.
We’ve seen golfers curse or snap their clubs in frustration on many occasions. Tyrell Hatton did both at The Open Championship over the summer (video here). This is the first time we can recall a pro golfer turning into the Incredible Hulk and tearing his own shirt.
Photo: May 30, 2019; Dublin, OH, USA; Rory McIlroy looks on during the first round of the 2019 Memorial golf tournament at Muirfield Village Golf Club. Mandatory Credit: Joe Maiorana-USA TODAY Sports
Rory McIlroy has made a big change to his golf team.
The 32-year-old golfer is back working with his old swing coach, Michael Bannon. Golfweek reported the news on Wednesday, and McIlroy confirmed to the outlet that he is back with Bannon.
“Yes, Michael and I are back working together,” McIlroy told Golfweek. “I’ve always had a relationship with Pete (Cowen) and I’ll ask for his input if I feel I need it. But now it’s Michael and me.”
McIlroy has been working with Bannon since he was eight years old. But Bannon, who is based in Northern Ireland, was unable to travel during the pandemic, until now. Bannon is now in Florida and helping McIlroy prepare for the World Tour Championship in Dubai.
While Bannon was unable to travel, McIlroy began working with the aforementioned Cowen, an experienced golf coach. The 70-year-old Cowen has coached numerous top players like Brooks Koepka, Sergio Garcia and Lee Westwood.
McIlroy’s time with Cowen left the young golfer underperforming and searching for some answers. His poor showing at the Ryder Cup spurred him to resume working with Bannon.
Photo: May 30, 2019; Dublin, OH, USA; Rory McIlroy looks on during the first round of the 2019 Memorial golf tournament at Muirfield Village Golf Club. Mandatory Credit: Joe Maiorana-USA TODAY Sports
Dustin Johnson and Paulina Gretzky celebrated Halloween at the famous Mar-a-Lago Club in Palm Beach, Fla., on Sunday, and it looks like the power couple spent some time with the owner. That would be former US president Donald Trump.
Both Johnson and his fiancee shared a photo on social media of them posing with Trump at the Mar-a-Lago club, which Trump owns.
Trump wasn’t in costume, so it’s possible he was just popping in to say hello to some of the party-goers. The 45th US president has been living at Mar-a-Lago since he left office. He also spent a lot of time there during his presidency, making it his “Southern White House.”
Johnson and Gretzky live in Palm Beach. Johnson has golfed with Trump in the past, and the two seem to have a close relationship.
Trump has been quite visible over the past several days. In addition to enjoying Halloween with Johnson and others, he also went viral for his actions at the World Series on Saturday night.
