Woods to Play in Pain on 25th Anniversary of His First Masters Win

This is a different Tiger Woods. A truly appreciative Tiger Woods, thankful for all the people who have helped him get his body back together.  It is also a grateful Tiger Woods, one who has been humbled by the fact that his fellow PGA Tour players sent texts, called, and visited. That was something he didn’t expect.

“Being able to play and practice — for me, more importantly, just to say thank you to all the guys that have texted me, Face-Timed me, and called me and given me all their support, to see them in person and to say thank you has meant a lot,” he said at his Master press conference.

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And it was easy to see that he meant it.

Now, he has made the decision.

Pain or no pain, Tiger Woods is playing in the 2022 Masters.

Woods gave kudos to his medical and physical therapy team and to the therapists who work on his body every day.  That is what has made this extraordinary week possible at a time when it seemed impossible to believe that Woods could play the Masters or any tournament.

The way Woods limped across the stage at his World Golf Hall of Fame induction, it did not look as though he would return to competitive golf any time soon. That was less than a month ago. At that time, it certainly did not seem that he would be able to negotiate the hills of Augusta National. But that’s why he’s Tiger Woods and the rest of us aren’t.

“Obviously, given what I’ve gone through with my back, and, obviously, with my right leg, yeah, there is (pain) each and every day.”   — Tiger Woods

Woods said his leg will never approach normal, but the doctors told him his discomfort will diminish with time. No one knows how much pain he will have going forward, but it is something he has experienced often.

“Obviously, given what I’ve gone through with my back, and, obviously, with my right leg, yeah, there is (pain) each and every day,” he said. “It’s just a matter of what my body’s able to do the next day and the recovery. That’s the hard part.”

However, his doctors assured him that even with all the hardware inside his body, he would be able to play golf again.  They just didn’t know at what level.  His ability to move, will likely not get much better, again, per the doctors, but his leg will feel better, they told him.   His leg will get stronger than it is now.

The range of motion issue is one reason he worked with Nike to create a new shoe, but what he is wearing this week may not be the final model. In order to prevent turf slips, Woods is using metal spikes to reduce the chances of sliding on turf.

“I have very limited mobility now. Just with the rods and plates and screws that are in my leg, I needed something different, something that allowed me to be more stable” he said about the new footwear, adding that Nike has been a real asset in the process.  “We’ve been working on trying to find something to allow me to do this and swing again. We’re still going to continue doing it, and hopefully we’ll have something soon.”

It’s still a real process for Woods to be able to play golf.  He has physical therapists working on him before he plays and after he plays, and the time for each of those processes is longer now than ever before.   Woods seems unfazed. He is here because he loves to compete, he insisted.

“When I decide to hang it up, when I feel like I can’t win anymore, then that will be it,” he said matter-of-factly. “But I feel like I can still do it, and I feel like I still have the hands to do it, the body’s moving good enough. I’ve been in worse situations and played and won tournaments.”

He’s already turned the page to thinking about what he has to do to get himself into a position to win on the back nine on Sunday.

So, he will play in pain, but once again we will hear, “Tiger Woods, now driving” at the Masters.