Tiger Woods is no longer feeling pain in his surgically repaired right ankle, but that doesn’t mean he’s ready to get back on the course.
Woods said in an interview Tuesday that the other areas of his right leg are still giving him problems, as speculation has swirled around when he will play competitive golf again.
Woods had his right ankle fused in a procedure in April after making the cut but withdrawing from the rain-delayed Masters.
“My ankle is fine. Where they fused my ankle, I have absolutely zero issue whatsoever,” Woods, 47, told the Associated Press. “That pain is completely gone. It’s the other areas that have been compensated for.”
He faces a similar issue after having fusion surgery on his back which repaired the L5 and S1 vertebrae.
“But all the surrounding areas is where I had all my problems and I still do. So you fix one, others have to become more hypermobile to get around it, and it can lead to some issues.”
Woods caught golf fans’ attention over the weekend when he caddied for his son Charlie at the Notah Begay III Junior Golf National Championship. Woods was seen walking with no noticeable limp in a video that spread across social media.
“I’m pretty sore after caddying for four days,” Woods said Tuesday. “It was a flat course, thank God.”
Stewart Cink told Golf Channel earlier this month that Woods had begun practicing again. He could choose to enter the Hero World Challenge, the unofficial PGA Tour event benefiting his charity where he is the tournament host, to be played Nov. 30-Dec. 3.
He has also played with his son in the PNC Championship, an exhibition tournament in which major champions play with family members, and could do so again Dec. 14-17. Woods can use a cart instead of walking the course in the PNC Championship.
Earlier Tuesday, Woods announced he will co-own a team, Jupiter Links Golf Club, in the TGL simulator league he launched with Rory McIlroy. He will also play for the team when the league begins play in 2024.
–Field Level Media