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 Already credited with one of
sport's great comebacks when he returned from
back surgery to win a fifth Masters in 2019,
ending an 11-year majors drought, Woods will
have to be even more resilient if he is to
overcome the damage done in Tuesday's accident.
The 45-year-old golf great was hospitalized in
Los Angeles and underwent emergency surgery on
Tuesday for injuries suffered when his sport
utility vehicle careened off a road and rolled
down a hillside.
Woods sustained compound fractures of his tibia
and fibula to his right leg in the early morning
crash along with additional injuries to his foot
and ankle, according to a statement posted on
the former world No. 1's official Twitter
account.
He also suffered trauma to the muscle and other
soft tissue of the leg.
The devastating injuries have raised concerns
over whether Woods will return to competitive
golf, with any comeback further complicated by
his long history of knee and back problems.
But orthopedic surgeons interviewed by Reuters
all agreed that, based on the information so far
available, the 15-time major winner could return
possibly within a year.
"What I have learned through my career taking
care of athletes, particularly at that level -
don't count them out," said Dr. Victor Khabie,
chief of surgery and co-director of the
Orthopedics and Spine Institute, Northern
Westchester Hospital, in Mt. Kisco, New York. "I
would say a year.
"It probably takes about 12 weeks to four months
for the bone to actually heal," he said. "And
then after that intense rehab, realistically,
probably a full year before he is back playing
at a high level."
Experts warned there are plenty of unknowns
Woods might have to navigate before attempting
any comeback.
Concern over infection is at the top of that
list, followed by potential nerve damage and
debilitating arthritis should the ankle injury
be more severe.
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 But absent any major
complications, it is possible Woods could be
ready to tee it up at next year's Masters, said
Dr. Riley Williams, sports medicine surgeon at
New York's Hospital for Special Surgery.
"He has the right psychological makeup and
obviously very focused and driven," said
Williams, who operated on and managed NBA player
Paul George's compound fracture in 2014. "Let's
assume in the most straightforward case we've
got good bone healing by 12 weeks and then
another three months of general recovery.
"I could see him being on the range 6-to-12
months after surgery," he said.
"The Masters next year is certainly within
reason, again barring some unknown complicating
factors."
Dr. Nicholas DiNubile, spokesman for the
American Academy of Orthopedic Surgeons, said
elite athletes possess all the tools to deal
with such adversity, but that in this case,
since Woods is 45, the question is whether he
will want to go through the grind one more time.
"This is as serious as it gets when you have an
open fracture because the risk of infection,"
DiNubile told Reuters. "Tiger Woods, of
everything I have read about him, is a really
tough guy. He has been through a lot injuries.
"He used to train with the Navy Seals and it
sounds like even at the scene of the accident he
was trying to get out of the car on his own," he
said.
"I wouldn't (write him off). The thing against
him is his age and at this point in his career
does he need to do that?"
(Reporting by Steve Keating in Toronto. Editing
by Matthew Lewis)
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