Tiger Woods At Peace With Retirement, Says His Body Won’t Let Him Continue Playing Golf


American professional golfer Tiger Woods said in a recent interview that he may be retiring from the sport to be a full-time dad to his two kids.

In an interview with TIME, Woods, 39, said that while he wanted to continue playing pro golf and possibly expand his 14 major titles, his body just won’t let him continue on.

Talking with Lorne Rubenstein of TIME, Tiger Woods said that he is at peace with what he has accomplished.

In addition, he said that he did not plan any of this – his retirement – and if it does happen, it will happen. What matters to him is to be with his kids and be able to “participate” in their lives.

Woods underwent surgery in September and October due to his back injury.

Two months after his last operation, Woods still finds it difficult to do other things besides walking.

“I walk 10 minutes on the beach,” Woods said. “That’s it. Then I come back home and lie back down on the couch, or a bed.”

The golf star said during the Hero World Challenge on Tuesday that he has not started rehab yet.

In the interview, Tiger Woods revealed that he just wants to be an active father and restore “basic functionality” that he currently does not have.

The pro golf champion also attributed his current injury to previous injuries that he played through in spite of doctors’ warnings for him to rest.

When asked if there were times that he came back from injuries too early, Woods responded, “Yes, I have. There’s no doubt about it.”

“Well, I did it in 2003. I’d had meniscus surgery in December 2002, and I beat Phil [Mickelson] and Fax [Brad Faxon] in the final round, my first tournament back [the Buick Invitational at Torrey Pines],” he said recounting a specific instance where he went back to playing too early after an injury.

Tiger Woods also said in the interview that he and former wife, Elin Nordegren, have a great relationship as parents to their children.

“She’s one of my best friends,” Woods said of Nordegren. “We’re able to pick up the phone, and we talk to each other all the time. We both know that the most important things in our lives are our kids.”

Woods and Nordegren split in 2010 amidst infidelity allegations that began a year before the rumors surfaced. Tiger Woods then made a public apology on television, but soon after, several companies dropped their endorsement deals with the golf star.

While Woods still managed to win some tournaments from 2011 onwards, he has not won a major since his historic 2008 win where “he beat everybody on one leg.”

Rubenstein also asked Tiger Woods about his breakup with fellow athlete Lindsey Vonn, after dating for two years.

The future Hall of Famer said that while things were working with him and Vonn, there simply was not enough time for the two of them to be together.

As he spends hours in training, Vonn, a pro snowboarder, trains as well in South America. They text each other, but the two seldom found time for each other because Woods’ priority is his two children.

“It just could not work. It was doing an injustice to both of us,” Tiger Woods said.

[Image by Patrick Smith/Getty Images]

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