In great news for golf, Rory McIlroy has revealed that 15-time Major winner Tiger Woods could be discharged from hospital as early as next week following his horrific car crash last month.
Woods sustained a series of serious leg injuries after his SUV skidded off a Californian highway, rolling over multiple times before coming to rest in a heap down a steep embankment.
Woods had to be cut from the vehicle and taken to hospital for immediate surgery on “multiple and significant” fractures and although it’s still not known if he’ll ever recover enough to play golf competitively again, his good friend McIlroy could reveal that the now 45-year old is steadily improving from his hospital bed at Cedars Sinai Medical Centre in California.
“Hopefully we see him back out here on Tour soon,” McIlroy told host Jimmy Fallon on The Tonight Show. “I’ve spoken to him a little bit. He’s doing better, and I think all the guys have reached out to him.
“Hopefully, if things go well over the next week or so, he might be able to get home and start his recovery at home, which will be great for him to see his kids, see his family. I just think all of us are wishing him a speedy recovery at this point.”
After Bryson DeChambeau revealed an inspirational text from Tiger that spurred him on to his latest PGA Tour victory at last week’s Arnold Palmer Invitational, McIlroy also revealed that he had received words of encouragement from Woods prior to the final round at Bay Hill, though they failed to have the desired impact.
“He texted me some words of encouragement before the final round at Bay Hill on Sunday, and things didn’t quite go to plan,” said McIlroy, who plunged two balls into the drink trying to bite off more than he could chew on the par-5 sixth tee.
“But Tiger was the first one to text me afterwards and be like ‘What’s going on here?’ So even from the hospital bed he’s still giving me some heat!”
McIlroy begins his defence of his Players Championship later today [Thursday] hoping to find a missing spark that could see him put four rounds together for the first time since his WGC-HSBC Champions win in November 2019.
Meanwhile, PGA Tour Commissioner Jay Monahan admitted that if there’s one player who we’ll all miss this week at TPC Sawgrass for golf’s so-called fifth Major, it’s 15-time major winning Woods.
“One player the world will miss this week is our two-time Players champion Tiger Woods,” said Monahan on Tuesday. “With 2021 being the 20th anniversary of the ‘better than most’ putt that took place in 2001. While we’ll celebrate this moment on Saturday, talk of Tiger’s future in golf can wait.
“At this moment, our thoughts continue to be with Tiger and his family as he begins his journey towards recovery. We’ll be there to support him every single step of the way.”
Thursday’s Irish tee-times (Irish time)
- 12.07 – Graeme McDowell, CT PAN & Matt Kuchar
- 12.40 – Rory McIlroy, Sergio Garcia & Webb Simpson
- 18.11 – Shane Lowry, Adam Scott & Daniel Berger
- Full scoring HERE
Leave a comment