Tiger Woods is not at the Genesis to do tricks

His right leg is “better” and that’s already good news. Tiger Woods explained at a press conference on Tuesday that he felt capable of fighting with all the top names on the circuit, and that otherwise he would not have come…

To prepare for his long-awaited return to the Riviera Country Club in Los Angeles on Thursday at the Genesis Invitational, Tiger Woods walked a lot on the beach, two years after his serious road accident and his double tibia-fibula fracture in the right leg, in February 2021.

Tiger Woods, statements

And since his participation with his son Charlie in the PNC Championship in December, “there has not been a single day where I have not hit balls”, he said on Tuesday.

To practice, Tiger alternated between holes set up in his backyard in Jupiter, Florida, and the course at nearby Medalist Golf Club. “I have a nice practice area in my garden, so I can work on my little game without leaving my house. And when I play Medalist, first I walk, then I get in a cart if I’m a little tired”.

As for the health check, “the leg is better than last year at the same time”, and the concern of the moment comes rather from the ankle, even if “it has improved a lot for two months. We did what we had to, I improved every day, maybe I did too much, once or twice, but it’s fantastic to have reached this level. I can’t wait to hit the course and play. »

“I can still hit the ball well, but it’s the stamina that’s less obvious, compared to walking. I took long walks on the beach, and you had to see the next day where the inflammation was, and if I could continue training, ”added the winner of fifteen Majors between 1997 and 2019. We remember that he had also suffered from an inflammation of the arch of the foot, which is also on the mend, but Woods admitted that he had not yet played 72 holes in four consecutive days this year.

After this Genesis Invitational, sponsored by its Foundation, there will of course be the Masters, in less than two months: “After this tournament, we will analyze everything and decide what to do to prepare Augusta”, announced the Tiger.

And regarding the rest of his program this year, Woods was very clear: priority to the Majors, like last year.

“I’m not going to do a full program, I’m going to choose my tournaments. How many tournaments, probably the Majors and one or two more. Would I like to play more? Yes, but will my leg allow me? I do not know. »