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In comments made Tuesday at the Hero World Challenge in the
Bahamas, Woods disclosed he had two previously unreported
surgeries following the serious leg injuries he sustained in a
single-car crash in February 2021 in Los Angeles.
While declining to provide further details of the procedures,
Woods said his current bout with plantar fasciitis is linked to
the leg injury.
The right foot condition will keep him from playing this week in
the Hero World Challenge, which Woods hosts annually. He said he
still plans to play in two events -- The Match on Dec. 10 and
the PNC Championship the following week -- because of less
pressure on his lower body since he can ride in a cart.
"It was a tough decision just because I want to play," Woods
said. "I like playing, I like competing, but unfortunately, I
can hit the golf ball and hit whatever shot you want, I just
can't walk. And so I've had a few setbacks during the year that
I still was able to somehow play through, but this one I just
can't. Only time can heal this one, and stay off my feet and get
a lot of treatment done."
At The Match, he will pair with World No. 1 Rory McIlroy in a
12-hole match under the lights against Jordan Spieth and Justin
Thomas at Pelican Golf Club in Belleair, Fla. At the PNC, he
will play with his 13-year-old son, Charlie.
"Charlie will just hit all the shots and I'll just get the putts
out of the hole, so pretty easy there," he said. "But other than
that, in The Match we're playing in, we're flying in carts."
Woods also devoted a portion of his session with reporters to
the PGA Tour's battle with the LIV Golf Series, which is funded
by the Saudis and led by former major champion Greg Norman. The
two tours have ongoing litigation against each other, and Woods
agrees with McIlroy, who spoke out earlier this month against
Norman, that the two circuits can't work together until Norman
is out of the picture.
"There is no willingness to negotiate if you have litigation
against you," said Woods, an 82-time winner on the PGA Tour. "I
think Greg has to go first of all.
"It has to start with leadership on their side, understanding
that what is happening right now is not the best future for the
whole game of golf. You need to have the two bodies come
together and if one side has so much animosity, trying to
destroy our tour, then how do you work with that?"
His remarks echo the talking points McIlroy, who two weeks ago
said, "I think Greg needs to go."
"I think he just needs to exit stage left. He's made his mark,
but I think now is the right time to sort of say, 'Look, you've
got this thing off the ground, but no one is going to talk
unless there's an adult in the room that can actually try to
mend fences,'" McIlroy said prior to the DP World Tour
Championship in Dubai.
--Field Level Media
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