“What drives me is I love to compete” - Tiger Woods on winning tournaments again on the PGA Tour after his comeback
Tiger Woods held a press conference on Tuesday, November 28, prior to his participation in the Hero World Challenge. He spoke about several topics, including how difficult it has been for him to be away from competitive activity.
From the Albany Golf Course in the Bahamas, venue of the Hero World Challenge, Woods assured that the moment of his definitive retirement from the top level has not arrived yet.
This is what Tiger Woods had to say about it, according to Tiger Woods Legion:
"I love competing. I love playing. What drives me is I love to compete. There will come a point in time that I won’t be able to win again. When that day comes, I’ll walk."
This statement was followed by a question from a reporter who wanted to know if Tiger Woods thought he was still in a position to win tournaments. He responded tersely but forcefully:
"Absolutely," Woods said.
During his press conference, the golfer offered a wide range of information. He reiterated that he is currently "pain free" and also shared his plan for his competitive schedule to include only one tournament a month.
Additionally, he reported that his friend and collaborator Rob McNamara will be acting as his caddie at the Hero World Challenge, but that he is still unclear who will be looking after his bag for the upcoming season.
What else did Tiger Woods talk about during his press conference in Albany?
Tiger Woods delved into his health status, an obvious concern for any golf fan. Here's how he put it:
"I can tell you this I don’t have any of the pain I had at Augusta. That surgery was a success... Not concerned at all babout walking 90 holes."
To questions from another reporter on the same subject, he responded:
"At some point in time I was gonna have to get my ankle replaced or fused. That timetable was sped up. Ankle just went. That’s why you saw me limping. The 6 months of doing nothing… that’s the hard part. The first couple months were really rough. I’m here on the good side now."
Woods also discussed the framework agreement between the PGA Tour and the Public Investment Fund (PIF) of Saudi Arabia:
"I would say my [initial] reaction was surprised. I was very surprised the process is what it was. We were very frustrated what happened and we took steps going forward to make sure we aren’t gonna be left out of the process. December 31 is coming up quickly. We have multiple options but we would like to have a deal done December 31. All parties understand that. But there are other options out there."
He also stated that he maintains his faith in Jay Monahan's leadership to lead the PGA Tour and the PIF agreement.