quote:
Tiger: Recovery is 'slow process'
PONTE VEDRA BEACH, Fla. -- Tiger Woods said Monday that his recovery from back surgery is a "slow process" and that he remains unsure when he will return to competitive golf.
...
"Once I begin swinging a club again, I'm not sure if I will have to make any changes to protect my back," Woods said. "That's up to [coach] Sean Foley and me on what we do. As far as limitations, it's a building process, just like when I came back from my knee and Achilles injuries. You start from the green and work your way back: putting, chipping, pitching, wedging, mid-irons, long irons, woods and eventually playing. That's all a process and takes time. We have to make sure my back heals fine and I have the strength and mobility going forward."
Seems to me Tiger has been riddled with one injury after another ever since his return to golf from the scandal that rocked his career.
The latest, a back "injury" that required microdiscectomy, has the potential to become chronic, especially given his mindset of having to "protect" his back.
When one is at the top of his profession and has the advice of the very best in the medical and sports therapy professions, it is even more likely for TMS to become chronic as the mind is squarely focused in the physical realm and all activities are designed to protect the fragile human body.
I believe it is unlikely that Tiger wins more than one or two more major championships, if any. Sure, he has recovered from the scandal, returned to #1 in the world, and won a bunch of tournaments. But the real pressure on Tiger is Nicklaus' record. The real pressure is the majors. Sadly, it seems TMS has provided a convenient distraction from this pressure and this is likely to continue indefinitely.
Hard to feel bad for the guy, but I was always a Tiger fan and was looking forward to witnessing the greatest golfer of all time break the record of major championship wins. 10 years ago, it was a foregone conclusion -- it was a question of when and by how many rather than a question of if. What a difference a decade makes... |
Tiger and TMS
Posted - 05/05/2014 : 12:18:48
