Tiger Woods Admits Not Being Sharp, But Stays Positive at PGA Championship

The 15-time major winner said the ability to hit shots is still there but physical ailments remain.

Tiger Woods will make just his third start of the year at the PGA Championship. / Sam Upshaw Jr.-USA TODAY Sports

LOUISVILLE, Ky. — Max Homa played two rounds with Tiger Woods last month at the Masters and wonders what it might be like for the 15-time major champion if he could just get reasonably healthy.

Woods made the cut for the 24th consecutive time, setting a Masters record, but faltered on the weekend when his back gave him problems, shooting a highest-ever score at Augusta National of 82 during the third round and finishing 60th, last among those who made the cut.

Now he’s trying to play again at this week’s PGA Championship, admitting his game is not as sharp as he would like, and leaving many to wonder how much more is left.

“I think he’s got a decent amount,” said Homa, who watched Woods shoot scores of 73-72, the latter in difficult, blustery conditions on a day in which only one player broke 70. “His golf game was incredible. Two days I played with him he hit it great.

“If he had made anything he would have been right around the lead. So, it was tough draw for him in that we had to play 20-odd some holes the second day. He wasn't limping too bad ... I think at some point it probably just comes down to him, just how badly does he want it. I feel like we all know he wants it real bad, so I feel like it is just kind of on that.

“But his skill level, his talent is still just mesmerizing.”

And that’s what makes the current state of Woods’s game so frustrating. The ability is still there. But the impact from the 2021 car crash on his lower right leg, ankle and foot is profound. And he’s still got back issues.

Valhalla Golf Club is where Woods made history in 2000, winning the PGA Championship in a playoff over Bob May to capture his third straight major title, a first since Ben Hogan in 1953.

But 10 years ago, Woods returned here in the throes of back problems. He had his first microdiscectomy in the spring and had withdrawn from the WGC-Bridgestone a few days earlier with nine holes to go in the final round. He didn’t show up until that Wednesday, then missed the cut.

“It's not different. At that time I was maybe one back procedure into it,” Woods said of the 2014 PGA. “Now it's a hell of a lot more than that number. Back is now fused, as you know. Yeah, coming into 2014 I wasn't feeling very good. But I'm always going to feel soreness and stiffness in my back, but that's OK. Just need other body parts to start feeling better.’’

Woods had two more microdiscectomies in 2015. He had spinal fusion in 2017 which led to the stretch of golf that saw him win three times on the PGA Tour, including the 2019 Masters.

But in late 2020, he had a fourth microdiscectomy, often overlooked because of the car crash a few months later.

“Yeah, I can still hit shots,” Woods said. “It's getting around is more of the difficulty that I face day-to-day and the recovery of pushing myself either in practice or in competition days. You saw it at Augusta. I was there after two days and didn't do very well on the weekend.”

He added: “I still feel that I can win golf tournaments. I still feel I can hit the shots and still feel like I still have my hand around the greens and I can putt. I just need to do it for all four days, not like I did at Augusta for only two.”

Woods, who is ranked 807th in the world, has played just eight worldwide events since the car crash, returning at the 2022 Masters, where he made the cut. He also made the cut before withdrawing at the PGA that year, then missed the cut at the British Open.

Last year, Woods played 72 holes at both the Genesis Invitational and the Masters but then had subtalar fusion surgery on his ankle. He didn’t play again until the Hero World Challenge, where he finished 18th out of 20 players.

Earlier this year, he withdraw after just six holes of the Genesis Invitational due to illness prior to the Masters.

“My body's OK. It is what it is,” Woods said. “I wish my game was a little bit sharper. Again, I don't have a lot of competitive reps, so I am having to rely on my practice sessions and getting stuff done either at home or here on-site.

“But at the end of the day, I need to be ready mentally and physically come Thursday, and these days of practicing, eating on the golf course, that's one of the reasons I came up here on Sunday was to knock off some of the work that I have to do in charting greens, get all that stuff done early, so I can focus on literally playing and plotting my way around.”

Woods will play the first two rounds with Adam Scott and Keegan Bradley, with an 8:04 a.m. ET tee time on Thursday and 1:27 p.m. ET on Friday.