Tiger Woods Speaks Out After Finishing 18th in First Golf Tournament After Injury Caused Him to Pull Out of Masters

“I haven’t played in six months,” the golf pro said following his return to the sport

Tiger Woods is addressing his ranking in a recent golf tournament after withdrawing from the Masters earlier this year.

The golf pro, 47, came in 18th place at the Hero World Challenge at the Albany Golf Club in the Bahamas. The event began on Thursday and runs through Sunday.

“Overall the round was better than yesterday, for sure,” the athlete said on Friday, per Yahoo! Sports. “The start was better, the middle part of the round was better.”

He reflected on his unusual ranking, adding, “I missed a couple putts there towards the end I thought would have kept the round going and unfortunately it kind of stalled out a little bit.”

Asked if mental and physical fatigue could be the reason behind his off game, he replied, “It’s all of the above. I just haven’t done it. I haven’t played in six months.”

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In April, Woods explained via social media that he underwent a “successful” surgery after pulling out of this year’s Masters.

“Earlier today, Tiger underwent a subtalar fusion,” the post on X read, noting that the procedure assisted with his post-traumatic arthritis stemming from a car crash that injured his leg in February 2021.

According to the announcement, the procedure was determined “to be successful.”

Per Yahoo! Sports, Woods said that despite coming in at 18th place, there’s “certainly been some good in there” and that consistency will be the key to his comeback.

“I can play at home, I can walk, beaches, and do all those things. But it’s different when you’re at game speed,” he explained.

“You can simulate all you want at home, and I had it the best I possibly can. We played a lot of money matches, but it’s just different. The mind’s racing more, the anxiety, the emotions are just different. You can always drop a ball at home, no big deal. Here it’s going to cost you.”

The golf legend said that although other things may be “bugging” and “bothering” him, “the ankle’s fine.” He added that he’ll soon start a “beta test to figure out what I can do.”

Ahead of Woods’ Hero World Challenge, he hinted to reporters that retirement may be soon.

“The goal is to play just the major championships and maybe one or two more. That’s it,” he said. “I mean, that’s physically, that’s all I can do.”