Tiger Woods gave an update on his progress ahead of the PNC Championship as he continues to recover from the sixth back surgery of his career in September.
The 15-time Major winner is competing alongside his son, Charlie, at the Florida event in his first outing since missing the cut at July’s Open.
However, while his return to action at the Ritz-Carlton Golf Club Orlando event is encouraging, it is far from the cut and thrust of a regular tournament, with the family-oriented event taking place over just two days and with the competitors able to use a cart.
Beforehand, Woods admitted that he’s still not ready to play regular golf, saying: “This year, I struggled a lot with my back, and that's why I had the procedure done. It's a lot better, but I still have a long way to go.”
Woods’ latest surgery, which removed a piece of tissue on his spine, was the latest in a long line of injury setbacks throughout his career, and he admitted those issues had taken a toll on his body.
He added: “I've had a lot of procedures over the course of time. I'm not going to feel what I used to feel. The recovery is going to be the hardest part. I can do it for a day here and there, but over the course of rounds, weeks, months, it gets harder.”
He then emphasized just how much work is involved in preparing for competitive action. He said: “Preparing for competitive play is different. That takes months, weeks. But it starts with each and every day.
"You just do the little things correctly, and they add up. From the moment you get up, just do all the little things, the mundane, the things you know you have to do. It adds up, and it compounds over - you may not see it over a week or a day, but over months, it adds up.
“Unfortunately I've gone through this process a number of times. It's frustrating. It's hard. But I have an amazing team, amazing support. But I have to do the little things on a daily basis and away from everybody. It's hard.”
Woods also revealed that it was touch and go as to whether he would be able to play at the PNC Championship. He said: "Yeah, I had moments. That was one of the reasons why I had the surgery done earlier, so that hopefully I could give myself the best chance to be with Charlie and be able to play.
"I'm not competitively good right now, but I just wanted to be able to have the experience again. This has always been one of the bigger highlights of the year for us as a family, and now we get to have that moment together again."
Woods also spoke to the Golf Channel ahead of the event, where he described playing alongside Charlie as a "dream come true."
"It's a dream come true."Tiger Woods says it's a blast to compete with his son at the PNC Championship for now the fifth time. pic.twitter.com/RiB3zMAYVtDecember 20, 2024
Despite Woods’ ongoing injury problems, he revealed he would play alongside Charlie earlier in December. That means, for the fifth successive year, fans also have the chance to assess the 15-year-old’s progress as his fledgling golf career continues.
Tiger offered an idea of just how good Charlie has become, adding: : “Yeah, he beat me for nine holes, has yet to beat me for 18 holes yet. That day is coming, I'm just prolonging it as long as I possibly can.”
