Tiger Woods doesn’t expect a return to competition ‘anytime soon’

LOS ANGELES – Two months after nearly winning the PNC Championship alongside his son, Tiger Woods is still unable to give a timetable for his return to the PGA TOUR.

Woods’ play at the PNC was better than many expected after his horrific car crash last February, but he said any progress made since December was not significant enough to forecast a return to competition.

“I wish I could tell you when I'm playing again,” Woods said Wednesday from The Riviera Country Club, where he is hosting The Genesis Invitational. “I want to know, but I don't. My golf activity has been very limited. I can chip and putt really well and hit short irons very well, but I haven't done any long stuff seriously. I'm still working.

“I'm still working on the walking part. My foot was a little messed up there about a year ago, so the walking part is something that I'm still working on, working on strength and development in that. It takes time.”

Woods suffered multiple fractures in his right leg and shattered his ankle last February in Los Angeles in the days following The Genesis Invitational when his vehicle jumped a median and rolled over into a ditch. There were serious concerns at the time that the 82-time TOUR winner might lose the limb.

“To be able to have my right leg still here, it's huge,” said Woods, who turned 46 in December. “I still have a lot of issues with it, but it's mine and I'm very thankful for that.

“What's frustrating is it's not at my timetable. I want to be at a certain place, but I'm not. I've just got to continue working. I'm getting better, yes, but not at the speed and rate that I would like. You add in the age factor, too. You just don't quite heal as fast, which is frustrating.”

His play at the PNC boosted hope of a larger comeback, perhaps even for the Masters in April. But Woods pointed out he had the benefit of riding in a golf cart on his way to a runner-up finish with Charlie behind John Daly and his son, John II.

Woods was also recovering from a fifth back surgery prior to the accident. The combination of ailments makes hitting longer shots more difficult.

“I have seen progress. I'm a lot stronger than I was then, I'm able to hit more shots… I can play weekend warrior golf, that's easy. But to be able to be out here and play six rounds of golf, a practice round, pro-am, four competitive days, it's the cumulative effect of all that. I'm not able to do that yet. I'm still working on getting to that point,” Woods said.

“Don't forget when my back was bad, when we had rain delays and had to reactivate everything and go back out there again. I've still got that issue, too. I've got a long way to go. … (Playing) gave me hope to be able to play with my son again and to be able to have fun with him and have those moments, … but that doesn't mean that I'm going to be back out on TOUR playing anytime soon.”

Woods did remain committed to making a comeback at some point. He needs just one more TOUR win to take sole possession of the PGA TOUR wins record he currently shares with Sam Snead.

“It's been tough, but I've gotten here, I've gotten this far and I still have a long way to go. Each and every day's a fight and I welcome that fight. Get up in the morning, let's go a few more rounds,” Woods said.

“I wish I could spend more time on the range digging out of the dirt. ... But that's not realistic at this point. Will I come back? Yes. Will I come back and play a full schedule? No. … I can play certain events here and there, but on a full-time level, no, that will never happen again.”