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Tiger Woods was spotted back on the golf course at the weekend, as insiders have confirmed that he is slowly but surely getting better following his horrific car crash earlier this year. The 45-year-old pro golfer was involved in a single-vehicle rollover car crash in Southern California on February 23rd, which left him with severe leg injuries that required immediate surgery. However, he is said to have made a “remarkable recovery” in the past few months, and is reportedly feeling very “optimistic” about his professional future.
The golfer made the rare public appearance to watch his 12-year-old son, Charlie, compete in a junior golf tournament in Florida. He was photographed wearing a black compression sleeve that covered his right leg, and according to onlookers, was walking without a limp, and without crutches. The fact that the dad-of-two was walking unaided just proves how much progress he has made!
“Tiger has made a remarkable recovery in the past few months, but it’s even more significant lately,” an insider told People. “It’s like every day he can do more, he can handle more, the pain is less and he’s feeling better.”
🚨BACK ON THE COURSE — Tiger Woods was seen this weekend in Florida watching his son compete at a junior event. TW was wearing a sleeve on his right leg & golf clothes on the range with a club in hand. First sighting in quite some time. 🙌 (Post credit: Mack Williams / Facebook) pic.twitter.com/U7Ie42ZxOE
— TWLEGION (@TWlegion) October 9, 2021
According to a statement released by Dr. Anish Mahajan, CEO and Chief Medical Officer of Harbor-UCLA Medical Center, the day after the crash, the 15-time Major winner “suffered significant orthopedic injuries to his right lower extremity” which meant he had to have immediate surgery after the accident. Mahajan also said that Woods had “comminuted open fractures,” meaning his tibia and fibula bones had shattered and broken through the skin, as well as a number of smaller injuries on the foot and ankle.
Woods’ pain levels are said to be very “manageable” now in comparison to what they were a few months ago, and he has reportedly really pushed himself in physical therapy to improve his fitness and get to where he is today. Woods – who has won an impressive 82 official PGA Tour events – last appeared on the PGA Tour at the delayed Masters in November 2020; and he apparently already knows when he wants to make his professional return.
Although neither Woods nor the insiders have divulged that information, the golfer is apparently "in really great spirits," so we're expecting to see him compete in the not-so-distant future, if all continues to go well. "He's got a timeframe in his head, but he's not really putting that out there; he knows when he wants to return, and he's going to make it happen," the source continued. "He says even if he's not at 100%, he knows how important it is to get back out there and compete. That's his goal."
The source went on to say that the golfer is "feeling really good about his recovery," especially now that his pain is subsiding. "He says that the pain is very manageable now," the insider concluded. "For the first couple months, he'd just be sitting at home with his leg up, and it would be throbbing and he'd be in so much pain. Now he still has pain, but it's nothing like what he dealt with before. He's feeling strong and healthy and optimistic that he'll be able to return to tour."
We wish Tiger Woods a speedy recovery, and hope to see him competing professionally on the golf course very soon!
