Woods on road to recovery

2008-12-18

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By John Reger
PA SportsTicker Contributing Writer

THOUSAND OAKS, California (Ticker)—Tiger Woods walked in from the 43-degree temperature and drizzle outside and joked about the uncharacteristic Southern California weather.

“This is unbelievable,” Woods said Wednesday. “We wish it could have been better than this, but hey, I’m not playing.”

It is one of the few jokes the world’s No. 1 golfer will allow about not playing since winning the U.S. Open in June. The surgery Woods had to rebuild his ACL in his left knee and the painful rehabilitation process after did not provide many humorous moments.

The closest Woods will get to professional golf these days is when he presents the check to the winner of the Chevron World Challenge, which starts Thursday at Sherwood Country Club in Thousand Oaks.

Rain and cold aside, Woods is glad to be back in the area he grew up, but would much rather be playing than watching.

“For me not to play, it is frustrating,” Woods said. “I want to be out there and competing and trying to mix it up with the boys, but it is what it is, and unfortunately it’s not going to happen this year, but I look forward to next year coming back.”

The rehabilitation from his knee surgery, which came after Woods won the U.S. Open in June for his 14th major title, is ahead of schedule.

“I haven’t hit full shots with my entire bag yet,” Woods said. “As far as coming back, I don’t know how it’s going to respond with repeated practice days and long days of practice trying to get back, ultimately playing my way into shape. That’s obviously going to take a little bit of time.”

But Woods and his doctors didn’t think he would be hitting clubs until after the first of the new year.

“The leg has responded well,” Woods said. “I’m actually stronger in my legs than I think I’ve been.”

While Woods is optimistic, he is still cautious about his return.

“But still, you have to understand the healing process of the ligament,” Woods said. “The ligament is only going to heal so fast, and you’ve got to be responsible for your actions, and I can’t stretch that out.”

The speculation was that Woods would try and make his return at the Buick Invitational at Torrey Pines, the site of his U.S. Open triumph.

But Woods was noncommittal about where his return would be, saying it might not even be until the Masters in April.

“Well, as far as intention, yes, that’s always been the intent,” Woods said about playing a few events before the Masters. “As far as reality, that’s two different things. I don’t know. That’s the most frustrating thing is the uncertainty. How is the leg going to respond to more hours of practicing, more playing, more holes of play, playing at home? How is it going to recover from day to day to day? All this is unknown. Everyone heals at different rates. I couldn’t tell you and my surgeon can’t tell you, trainers can’t tell you.”

Woods would certainly like to avoid making his first event since his surgery the first men’s major of the year.

“No, it’s not the easiest place to come back, no,” Woods said of Augusta National. “Would I want that scenario to happen? No, I wouldn’t want it to. But if I can play, then I’d like to be able to tee it up.”

That seems to be the main criteria for Woods. It’s not where he wants to compete, it’s when, and right now the left knee will dictate when that happens.

“When my best is not good enough, I’m not going to be out here competing,” Woods said. “You know, I certainly understand that more so now than ever before, because you know, if I had to play this week, my game is not ready for public consumption. I couldn’t display it right now. I wouldn’t want to. I wouldn’t want you guys to see me out there playing that poorly. I’m just not ready yet.”

While Woods is eager to get back on the golf course, the time away has given him time to pursue other interests, like golf course design and spend more time with his family.

“Being able to spend time at home with Sam and watch her grow, it’s something I wouldn’t have had the opportunity to do,” Woods said about his young daughter. “I would have been playing and traveling quite a bit, so from that standpoint it’s been a blessing.”