Tiger Woods has not appeared publicly on the golf course since his February car accident, but fellow pro Justin Thomas says the 15-time major winner will try to return if it’s possible.
Woods suffered serious leg injuries in a single-vehicle rollover accident near Los Angeles on February 23, when his SUV crossed a median, went across two lanes of road, then hit a tree and landed on the driver’s side in the brush.
Recent photos of Woods attending one of his son’s golf tournaments showed him standing without crutches and had his fans wondering if he’d ever grace the course again.
But Thomas – who said he tries to visit Woods a couple of times a week at his South Florida home – admits he’s unsure about whether Woods will attempt a comeback.
“I don’t know. I mean, I know that he’s going to try,” the 2017 PGA Championship winner said on the “No Laying Up” podcast.
“I don’t see him ever playing if he can’t play well. He doesn’t strike me as a guy who’s played at home and he’s shooting a bunch of 75s and 76s and he’s like: ‘OK, I’m going to give Augusta a try this year.’ That’s not really going to be him, at least from my understanding, what I know of him.”
Thomas added: “He knows that there’s a pretty good chance that that was the last chance he really ever had, before that, of making another run. But at the same time, I know how determined he is and I know he’s going to want to at least try to give something again.”
Woods himself hasn’t provided many updates since his accident in February.
The 45-year-old shared a photo of himself walking on crutches and in May, and he told Golf Digest that his physical rehabilitation has been “more painful than anything I’ve ever experienced.”
He’s had to come back from injuries in the past, returning from spinal fusion surgery in 2017 to win the Masters in 2019.
However, Thomas revealed that Woods has been able to remain positive and maintain his personality throughout his journey.
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“Obviously I hope he does [return]. But at the same time, as I said after the accident, as long as he can be a dad and be normal with that again, that’s the No. 1 priority, and the rest of this is a bonus.
“He’s still his sarcastic-ass self, so nothing has changed there, so I’m glad to see that he’s still chipper as always.”
Woods is scheduled to host his Hero World Challenge on December 2-5 in the Bahamas.
