Frank Coztansa wrote:
He essentially is already 'retired' as a full time player. He can and likely will play the Masters, Open, maybe the PGA, and a couple other events here and there. I could see him making a few stops on the Champions tour as well in a few years.
The days of him playing 20-25 tournaments a year are long gone.
Oh, I already knew that, as he has said it himself that he’ll never come close to competing on any full-time (for him) level, but he made it sound like his bad leg still may be in jeopardy to the point that he may still lose it:
“The plan was to play the U.S. Open, but physically I was not able to do that. There's no way physically I could have done that,” he said ahead of Round 2 in Ireland. “I had some issues with my leg and it would have put this tournament [The Open Championship] in jeopardy and so there's no reason to do that.”
Although Tiger spoke optimistically about his body and his game as he made his way gingerly around Adare Manor with the aid of a golf cart, it became abundantly clear that his right leg is still a work in progress. As his opening 71 at the Masters in demanding conditions and his second-round 69 at Southern Hills showed, there’s still tread on those championship tires. But the real question is how many miles remain?
“I don't know. I really don't,” he admitted. “If you asked me last year whether I would play golf again, all of my surgeons would have said no. But here I am playing [three] major championships this year.
“I will always be able to play golf,
whether it's this leg or someone else's leg or false leg or different body pieces that have been placed or fused, I'll always be able to play. Now if you say play at a championship level, well, that window is definitely not as long as I would like it to be.”
It was, in retrospect, a wildly refreshing viewpoint from a player who spent the vast majority of his career not allowing himself to glance beyond the moment. It was a unique Tiger tool that allowed him to compartmentalize the avalanche of pressure that comes with being a singular talent – always stay in the moment.
But now, in what he clearly recognizes to be the twilight of his career, perspective can be liberating. Tiger recognizes his limitations, but he’s far from constrained by them.
Perhaps the most encouraging takeaway from Tuesday’s media meet-and-greet was the notion that, despite all his physical restrictions, he still enjoys the process as well as the outcome.
“It's been worth it. It's been hard,” said Woods, a three-time Open champion who has twice won on the Old Course (2000, 2005). “I've had some very difficult days and some days which moving off the couch is a hell of a task, and that's just the way it is.
“I have my own two legs, which I tell you, I'm not going to take it for granted anymore, some people do. But people who have come close or lost a limb understand what I'm saying, but you have difficult days and also you have great days.”
The prioritization of The Open Championship was as calculated as it was convenient. The 150th playing of the game’s oldest major at the Home of Golf would always be worth the effort, but the topographical fact that the Old Course will be the most user friendly of all the courses Tiger plays this year is just as compelling.”’
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Could easily be +9 or +10 by round's end.