Tiger Woods discusses recovery after his accident for the first time

Tiger Woods held his first in-depth press conference on Tuesday after a car crash in February that left the golf champion with severe leg and back injuries.

"I don't foresee this leg ever being what it used to be," Woods told reporters.

"I've come off surgeries before,” he added. “I've won or I've come close to winning before, so I know the recipe for it. I just had to get to a point where I feel comfortable enough where I can do that again.”

“I don’t have to compete and play against the best players in the world to have a great life. After my back fusion, I had to climb Mt. Everest one more time. I had to do it, and I did. This time around, I don’t think I’ll have the body to climb Mt. Everest, and that’s OK. I can still participate in the game of golf. I can still, if my leg gets okay, I can still click off a tournament here or there. But as far as climbing the mountain again and getting all the way to the top, I don’t think that’s a realistic expectation of me.”

“As far as playing at the Tour level, I don't know when that's going to happen," said Woods.

The accident happened on February 23 in Los Angeles, after Woods lost control of his vehicle. His car crossed a median, hit a tree and rolled over. Woods was driving between 84 and 87 mph in a 45 mph zone, according to Los Angeles police.  

The crash left him immobile for three months. He suffered from “comminuted open fractures” to the upper and lower portions of the tibia and fibula in his right leg. His injuries were so severe that amputation was considered.

Earlier this month, Woods shared a video of him golfing.  “Making progress,” read the Tweet.  

Making progress pic.twitter.com/sVQkxEHJmq

— Tiger Woods (@TigerWoods) November 21, 2021

“I have so far to go … I’m not even at the halfway point,” he said. “I have so much more muscle development and nerve development that I have to do in my leg. At the same time, as you know, I’ve had five back operations. So I'm having to deal with that. So as the leg gets stronger, sometimes the back may act up. … It’s a tough road.”