Tiger Woods doesn’t want to go out like that.
As the golf icon continues to recover from Tuesday’s wreck outside of Los Angeles, Woods realizes his career in liaisons could be in jeopardy, people reported.
“He doesn’t want his career to end like this,” a source close to the 45-year-old athlete said Wednesday. “So if there’s any way I can keep playing golf, it will.”
Woods, who had back surgery to remove a disc fragment that left him nervous after the PNC Championship in December, is “frustrated” by his latest setback in his seemingly unstoppable career.
He also wants to return to the greens as soon as possible if he is physically capable, the source said.
“I hoped 2021 would be the year of his return,” the source continued. “It simply came to our notice then. And that’s disappointing for him. “
But Woods, who has had nine previous surgeries throughout his career, believes he can add a more dramatic return to his impressive resume, the source said.
“This is a huge setback and you know it’s a huge setback,” the source told People. “But he has overcome obstacles from the past and believes he will be able to do it again.”
Woods was aware when he was extricated through the front windshield of a 2021 Genesis GV80 luxury SUV that crashed into a troubled stretch of road downhill at Rancho Palos Verdes.
Los Angeles County Sheriff Alex Villanueva has described the crash as “purely an accident” and ruled out criminal charges against Woods.
“He wasn’t drunk,” Villanueva said Wednesday. “We can throw it away.”
If Woods returns to golf, he will try to break his 82-win record in the PGA Tour and join his top 15 leagues, second only to Jack Nicklaus.
Woods reportedly has no memory of the wreckage of a vehicle that left him with his right leg shattered. The doctors also inserted a wand into his leg and placed screws on his foot and ankle. according to a statement posted on Twitter.
Meanwhile, an orthopedic surgeon at a California hospital told the Los Angeles Times on Wednesday that bars, screws and pins like those used to stabilize woods are often meant to remain in the patient’s body for life.
“My expectation would be that I wouldn’t anticipate it and that I would walk there for a while,” Dr. Gregory Tennant, of Fontana Kaiser Permanent Medical Center, told the newspaper.
Tennant, who does not treat Woods while recovering at Harbor-UCLA Medical Center, said the crash could affect his often plagued back.
“Trauma is never really an isolated fact,” Tennant told the newspaper. “It’s not uncommon to identify injuries, even significant injuries, days later, as the initial high-energy injuries are treated.”
But betting on Woods’ return would be nonsense, the surgeon suggested.
“Tiger Woods has been a winner all his life, and one thing I’ve learned is that you don’t bet on winners,” Tennant said. “Don’t bet on Michael Jordan. Don’t bet on Tiger Woods. “