Tiger Woods indicated in an interview with CBS ‘Jim Nantz on Sunday that he did not practice much after a fifth back surgery in December and that he would not guarantee a part of the Masters final round in seven weeks.
“I have to get there first,” said Woods, 45, who was at the Riviera Country Club as a host for the Genesis Invitational.
“I looked at my cue,” he joked, without giving a timetable for his return in the coming weeks.
“I don’t know what the plan is,” he said. “The plan now is to go through tomorrow and start making progress.”
Woods underwent a microdiscectomy on December 23, a procedure to relieve nerve pain in the lower back. He had done the same procedure three times before, once in 2014 and twice in 2015. He then had a much more severe spinal fusion in April 2017, from which he returned less than a year later.
Woods has won three times since then to run his PGA Tour total winning streak to 82, drawing Sam Snead. He also won his 15th major title when he won the 2019 Masters.
But Woods never achieved anything last year, posting only a single result in the top 10, a ninth draw at the Farmers Insurance Open in January 2020.
He missed the cut at the United States Open and drew 38th at the Masters, his last official event.
He had his last procedure three days after competing with his son, Charlie, in the PNC championship in December.
“I’m feeling good, a little stiff,” said Woods. “I have another MRI scheduled, and then I can start doing more activities. I’m still at the gym doing rehab activities before I gravitate towards more.”
Woods didn’t commit to playing a tournament before the Masters, and when asked specifically about the first major championship of the year, he said, “God, I hope so. But I have to get there first. I don’t have much movement left. one back. “
The recovery of the procedure, which was believed to be up one level in the column where the previous ones occurred, should take from two and a half to three months. He said he was hitting balls a few weeks later, but Woods’ words indicated that he did not do the heavy training required for a comeback.
Among the potential places for him to return is the Arnold Palmer Invitational in two weeks, followed by the Players Championship and the Honda Classic. After Honda, comes the WGC-Dell Technologies Match Play, a tournament for which he will be able to remain ranked among the 64 best in the world. He dropped to 51st on Sunday.
The match play event is two weeks before the Masters.