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A18 SPORTS
Saturday 30 September 2017
Woods back on the course in a cart, uncertain about future

By DOUG FERGUSON was working out six days a tin Thomas or Rickie Fowler
AP Golf Writer week, alternating among comes over to his house in
JERSEY CITY, N.J. (AP) — a treadmill, his bike, swim- south Florida to chip in his
Tiger Woods made it back ming and lifting weights backyard practice facility,
from his fourth surgery in twice a day. He is hitting he’s not around the play-
time for the Presidents Cup. wedges up to 60 yards, but ers in this environment.
Just not to play. that’s as far as he said his Woods said he was “very
Not even Woods knows doctors will allow him to optimistic” about getting
when or even if he can go. back into the fray. He’s
return. He even acknowl- He was asked if he could also as uncertain as ever.
edged Wednesday a sce- see a scenario where he “Like I said, the pain’s gone,
nario that he doesn’t return would not return to com- but I don’t know what my
to competition because petition and Woods re- golfing body is going to be
he’s at a stage where he’s plied, “Yeah, definitely. I like, because I haven’t hit
only hitting 60-yard shots. don’t know what my future a golf shot yet,” he said.
This was all about driving In this Feb. 2, 2017, file photo, Tiger Woods reacts on the 10th holds for me. As I’ve told He said in his May blog that
a cart as an assistant cap- hole during the first round of the Dubai Desert Classic golf tour- you guys, I’m hitting 60- he “unequivocally” wants
nament in Dubai, United Arab Emirates.
tain at Liberty National. Associated Press yard shots.” to play professional golf
Woods is back on a golf “I’ve been out of the game again, and he said again
course for the first time car that was parked awk- is not anything he would for a while,” Woods said. Wednesday that he was in
since the Dubai Desert wardly on the side of the want to miss. “First things first: Get my no hurry to get back from a
Classic, where he shot 77 road with a blinker flashing. “There were times when ... health organized. Make fourth back surgery, which
in the first round and with- Woods said he had an un- I didn’t know if I was going sure the pain goes away. followed four surgeries on
drew the next day citing expected reaction to pain to be able to be here be- Then, basically, just as I his left knee.
back spasms. medication. cause I couldn’t ride in a said, just keeping waiting Woods was asked if could
He had fusion surgery on Three weeks later, he en- cart,” Woods said Wednes- for what my surgeon says. be the best in golf again
his back in April, and he tered a treatment center. day. I’m still training. I’m getting if he returned to 100 per-
had reason to wonder if he He also was an assistant “The bouncing just hurt too stronger. cent health. That made
would be able to join the captain at the Ryder Cup much. Driving a car still But I certainly don’t have Woods smile, only because
U.S. team in this capacity. last fall, and even though hurt. So that’s all gone now, my golf muscles trained he doesn’t know what 100
He said in his blog May 24 he doesn’t have a club in which is fantastic. because obviously I’m not percent means anymore
that surgery brought in- his hand or a putt on the And yeah, there were doing anything golf-relat- with all his injuries.
stant nerve relief. line, they are big weeks. some intrepid times — not ed.” The next question was if he
Five days later, however, Having not played a full just for this golf tournament, Woods went 4-1-0 at the could return to the health
he was arrested on a DUI schedule since 2015, re- but for life going forward.” Presidents Cup in 2013, his he had in his 20s, and
charge when Florida po- moved from the game, op- Woods looks as fit as ever. last team competition. Ex- Woods did all he could to
lice found him asleep be- portunities to spend time He said in another blog he cept for the odd occasion keep from laughing.
hind the wheel of a running with an American team posted last week that he when PGA champion Jus- “Is anybody in here who is
in their 40s ever going to
feel like they did in their
20s?” he said. “Seriously?”
He turns 42 at the end of
the year.
His role at the Presidents
Cup is assisting U.S. captain
Steve Stricker, encourag-
ing players who were not
even in kindergarten when
Woods won the first of his
14 majors.
And he’s loving every min-
ute of it.
So are the players, and
the fans. Woods still re-
mains the top draw when
it comes to autographs at
Liberty National.
It’s a rare sighting these
days on a golf course.
“The younger player on
both sides, he was our
dominant player, the face
of the PGA Tour, and they
grew up idolizing him,” Jim
Furyk said.
“Having him here in the
team room and here with
those guys is invaluable.
“It’s a two-way street. It’s
great for Tiger. As much as
he’s been injured, it’s prob-
ably wonderful for him to
be out here.”q