Tiger Woods has revealed he was ready to quit golf in 2017, as he struggled to recover from back surgery.
The 42-year-old’s spinal procedure left him stricken, with little hope of movement, never mind competing with the best golfers in the world.
Speaking to reporters ahead of his week at the Northern Trust in New Jersey, Reuters quoted Woods as saying:
At that time [2017], I was done,
I didn’t know what I was going to do be doing. I had no golf in my future at that time. I couldn’t walk. I couldn’t sit.
The Californian had sat out the entire 2016 season, and despite three back surgeries, a fourth was needed partway through 2017 to put Woods’ spine right.
I left from to go see a specialist about what are my options,
At the time, I needed to try and get rid of the pain. It wasn’t so much about golf. I tried everything. I tried stem cell; I tried Lidocaine; I tried Marcaine, nerve block. Nothing took the pain away.
The 14-time major champion was unable to swing a golf club for six months after his fourth surgery, a fact that makes his 2018 resurgence all the more incredible.
Briefly leading The Open on Sunday, a tied-sixth finish failed to capture the terrific performance turned in by Woods over the weekend.
The 79-time PGA Tour champ would come even closer at the PGA Championship, as he finished second behind Brooks Koepka.
The Tiger of yesteryear may be a distant memory, but the Tiger of today is a competitive and dangerous golfer worthy of respect.
