Tiger Woods opens up about 'tough' recovery after car accident: 'I'm lucky to be alive'


Tiger Woods is acknowledging he still has a "long way to go" in his recovery more than nine months after he was in a serious car accident.
The legendary golfer was hospitalized in February following a single vehicle car accident in California, and he spoke with reporters Tuesday about his recovery. When asked how much more difficult it has been compared to his recoveries from previous injuries, Woods said "this one's been much more difficult," adding, "It's hard to explain how difficult it has been just to be immobile for three months and just lay there. I was just looking forward to getting outside."
Doctors previously said Woods suffered "significant orthopedic injuries to his right lower extremity," which required emergency surgery. He said Tuesday he no longer needs crutches but that recovering has been "a lot of hard work," noting he had to be in a hospital bed for three months, and he praised his doctors and nurses.
Subscribe to The Week
Escape your echo chamber. Get the facts behind the news, plus analysis from multiple perspectives.

Sign up for The Week's Free Newsletters
From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.
From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.
"There were some tough times in there," Woods said. "There were some really, really tough times, and the pain got pretty great at times. But they helped me get through it. I'm on the better side of it, but I still got a long way to go."
Woods told Golf Digest in a Monday interview he expects to "never" play full time "ever again," which he described as an "unfortunate reality." But he told reporters Tuesday that "at least I'm able to do it again," even though "for a while there, it didn't look like I was going to." When asked if there's an upcoming tournament he has in mind to make a return, Woods said that "as far as playing at the tour level, I don't know when that's going to happen." But he noted, "I'm lucky to be alive," adding, "I'm very grateful that someone upstairs was taking care of me."
A free daily email with the biggest news stories of the day – and the best features from TheWeek.com
Brendan worked as a culture writer at The Week from 2018 to 2023, covering the entertainment industry, including film reviews, television recaps, awards season, the box office, major movie franchises and Hollywood gossip. He has written about film and television for outlets including Bloody Disgusting, Showbiz Cheat Sheet, Heavy and The Celebrity Cafe.
-
The app tackling porn addiction
Under the Radar Blending behavioural science with cutting-edge technology, Quittr is part of a growing abstinence movement among men focused on self-improvement
-
Magazine solutions - August 29, 2025
Puzzles and Quizzes Issue - August 29, 2025
-
Magazine printables - August 29, 2025
Puzzles and Quizzes Issue - August 29, 2025
-
Trump says Smithsonian too focused on slavery's ills
Speed Read The president would prefer the museum to highlight 'success,' 'brightness' and 'the future'
-
Trump to host Kennedy Honors for Kiss, Stallone
Speed Read Actor Sylvester Stallone and the glam-rock band Kiss were among those named as this year's inductees
-
White House seeks to bend Smithsonian to Trump's view
Speed Read The Smithsonian Institution's 21 museums are under review to ensure their content aligns with the president's interpretation of American history
-
Charlamagne Tha God irks Trump with Epstein talk
Speed Read The radio host said the Jeffrey Epstein scandal could help 'traditional conservatives' take back the Republican Party
-
CBS cancels Colbert's 'Late Show'
Speed Read 'The Late Show with Stephen Colbert' is ending next year
-
Shakespeare not an absent spouse, study proposes
speed read A letter fragment suggests that the Shakespeares lived together all along, says scholar Matthew Steggle
-
New Mexico to investigate death of Gene Hackman, wife
speed read The Oscar-winning actor and his wife Betsy Arakawa were found dead in their home with no signs of foul play
-
Giant schnauzer wins top prize at Westminster show
Speed Read Monty won best in show at the 149th Westminster Kennel Club dog show