Almost a year to the date since Tiger Woods suffered a horrific accident causing severe damage to his right leg, golf's most popular figure addressed reporters ahead of the Genesis Invitational.
Woods returned to golf in December playing with his son, Charlie, at the PNC Championship. That was just a two-day event and allowed for Woods to drive a cart. But the glimpse into his return continues to spark questions regarding his future.
In a press conference conducted Wednesday — a tournament in which he is hosting — Woods said he still has a long way to go before he returns to PGA Tour action.
"I wish I could tell you when I'm playing again," the 15-time major winner said. "I want to know but I don't. My golf activity has been very limited. I can chip and putt really well, short irons very well but I haven't done any of the long stuff seriously."
There are 47 days until the Masters, an event that Woods has won five times. With his answers during the press conference, it's clear he has a lot of work to do in those 47 days if he wants to play but he never ruled it out completely.
"Will I come back? Yes," Woods said. "Will I ever come back and play a full schedule? No. "
Woods said he feels like there has been improvement since the PNC Championship in December, but it's not at the rate that he would like.
"What's frustrating is it’s not [being] on my timetable," Woods said. "I want to be at a certain place, but I'm not. And I'm just gonna continue working. I'm getting better, yes. But, as I said, not the speed and rates I would like."
The issue, it appears, is not necessarily in Woods' golf swing, despite his lack of preferred power with the longer clubs. It has more to do with his leg's ability to withstand walking 18 holes for six-straight days.
"I can walk on a treadmill all day. It's easy, it's just straight. There are no bumps in the road," Woods said. "But walking on the golf course that has undulations, I have a long way to go."
No golf course has more undulations than Augusta where Woods is currently 40-1 to win on DraftKings.
"My leg was not in a very good position there about a year ago and I've had to work through a lot of different operations and a lot of different scenarios and it has been tough," Woods said. "But I've gotten here. I've gotten this far."
Woods did not rule out playing in the Par 3 contest at Augusta which is typically conducted on Wednesday before the tournament begins. He said he could do that right now. But playing in the actual tournament seems like a long shot at this point.
"I still have a long way to go, and each and every day is a fight," Woods said. "And I welcome that fight and get up in the morning and let's go a few more rounds."
