Tiger Woods doesn’t want to leave the house like that.
As the golf icon continues to recover from Tuesday’s wreck outside Los Angeles, Woods realizes his career on the links could be in jeopardy, People reported.
“He doesn’t want his career to end like that,” said a source close to the 45-year-old athlete on Wednesday. “So if there’s a way he can keep playing golf, he will.”
Woods, who underwent back surgery to remove a disc fragment that cut a nerve after the PNC Championship in December, is “frustrated” by his latest setback in his once seemingly unstoppable career.
He also wants to get back on the greens as soon as possible if he is physically able, the source said.
“He expected 2021 to be the year of his comeback,” the source continued. ‘That is clearly not going to happen now. And that is disappointing for him. “
But Woods – who has undergone nine previous surgeries throughout his career – thinks he can add one more dramatic return to his already impressive resume, the source said.
“This is a huge setback and he knows it is a huge setback,” the source told People. “But he has overcome obstacles in the past and thinks he can do it again.”
Woods was conscious when he was freed through the windshield of a 2021 Genesis GV80 luxury SUV that crashed on a problematic downhill stretch of road in Rancho Palos Verdes.
Los Angeles Sheriff Alex Villanueva has characterized the crash as “purely an accident” and has ruled out criminal charges against Woods.
“He wasn’t drunk,” said Villanueva on Wednesday. “We can throw that out.”
When Woods returns to golf, he will try to break his record 82 wins on the PGA Tour and add to his 15 major championships, second only to Jack Nicklaus.
Woods reportedly has no memory of the single vehicle wreckage, which left him with a shattered right leg. Doctors also put a rod in his leg and placed screws in his foot and ankle, according to a statement on Twitter
An orthopedic surgeon at a California hospital, meanwhile, told the Los Angeles Times on Wednesday that rods, screws, and pins, such as those used to stabilize Woods, are often designed to remain in a patient’s body for life.
“I expected that I would not foresee him and would walk around for a while,” said Dr. Gregory Tennant of the Kaiser Permanente Medical Center in Fontana’s newspaper.
Tennant, who doesn’t treat Woods while he recovers at Harbor-UCLA Medical Center, said the accident could affect his often-troubled back.
“Trauma is never quite an isolated event,” Tennant told the paper. “It is not uncommon to identify injuries – even significant injuries – days later as the first high-energy injuries are dealt with.”
But betting against Woods’ return would be reckless, the surgeon suggested.
“Tiger Woods has been a winner all his life, and I’ve learned you don’t bet on winners,” said Tennant. ‘You don’t bet against Michael Jordan. You don’t gamble against Tiger Woods. “