Tiger Woods Says He's Done as Full-Time Golfer After Major Car Crash: 'I Accept It'

Tiger Woods' time as a full-time golfer on the PGA Tour is apparently over even as he recovers from serious injuries suffered in a February car crash.

The all-time great revealed as much during an interview with Henni Koyack of Golf Digest:

"I think something that is realistic is playing the tour one day—never full time, ever again—but pick and choose, just like Mr. [Ben] Hogan did. Pick and choose a few events a year and you play around that. You practice around that, and you gear yourself up for that. I think that's how I'm going to have to play it from now on. It's an unfortunate reality, but it's my reality. And I understand it, and I accept it."

Woods, who has also undergone five back surgeries, opened up about the recovery process during the interview.

The 45-year-old said it was "damn near" a 50 percent chance he would lose his right leg to amputation at one point after he suffered open fractures to both the tibia and the fibula as a result of losing control of his car in February.

The 15-time major champion spent three weeks in the hospital and time on a hospital-type bed in his house before eventually progressing to a wheelchair and then crutches.

Earlier this month, he posted video of himself hitting a shot with an iron with the caption "making progress":        

Still, he cautioned he is "not even at the halfway point" to a return to the course as he works on regaining his strength and dealing with lingering back concerns from the multiple surgeries as well.

Woods also doesn't feel as if he has to further prove himself any longer and instead is eyeing a return to an occasional tournament:

"I don't have to compete and play against the best players in the world to have a great life. After my back fusion, I had to climb Mt. Everest one more time. I had to do it, and I did. This time around, I don't think I'll have the body to climb Mt. Everest, and that's OK. I can still participate in the game of golf. I can still, if my leg gets OK, I can still click off a tournament here or there. But as far as climbing the mountain again and getting all the way to the top, I don't think that's a realistic expectation of me."

There is no doubting Woods' status as one of the greatest golfers in the sport's history.

The storyline was often Tiger versus the field during his prime, and he had a way of dominating the course to the point there was little hope for anyone else if he was dialed in during the Sunday of a major tournament.

In all, Woods has won 82 tournaments and 15 major championships. His 82 PGA Tour victories are tied with Sam Snead for the most in the history of the sport.

While his back surgeries cut into his prime and likely cost him more Tour victories, he was still able to battle back and win his 15th major title and fifth green jacket during an unforgettable Masters in 2019:        

While there may not be such a comeback in store this time around, he said he is motivated by the possibility of playing alongside his 12-year-old son Charlie and is working his way back to the course.

Even if it won't be full-time.