Read more: Who Is Charlie Woods? Everything To Know About Tiger Woods’ 15-Year-Old Son
As many of you know, I was out at Oakland Hills Country Club covering Charlie Woods' debut in the U.S. Junior Amateur. But little did I know I was about to get an eyeful of his dad's gnarly leg situation like never before.
Golf fans got their first look at the extent of Tiger Woods' leg injuries from his 2021 car crash, as the 15-time major champion accompanied his son Charlie without leg compression sleeves at the US Junior Amateur this week.
Woods has steadily ramped up his golf activity over the past year since suffering severe right leg injuries, including open fractures to his tibia and fibula, in the single-vehicle accident in February 2021. He has competed in a handful of events but has relied on compression sleeves on his right leg for support.
🚨🐅😲 #LOOK: A photo has emerged of Tiger Woods without his leg sleeve @TWlegion
— NUCLR GOLF (@NUCLRGOLF) July 22, 2024
(Via: blakebunkersgolf/IG) pic.twitter.com/ppaGLdXg8X
You see, for the first time since the crash, Tiger ditched the long leg sleeve he normally wears. And let me tell you - the scars revealed were grizzly, gnarly, and grotesque. We're talking thick, red lines of mangled flesh zigzagging up and down what remains of his right leg. It was enough to turn even the strongest of stomachs. I nearly lost my breakfast protein shake just gazing at the mutilated mess.
Now, I know what you're thinking - poor Tiger, how does he even walk, let alone play golf, with those mangled mitts he calls legs? Well friends, I'm here to tell you it's nothing short of a miracle. As we all know, doctors came this close to hackin' the whole thing off. But thanks to Tiger's iron will and refusal to roll over, he fought to save the leg - and is now out defying odds by competing again. It truly makes you appreciate just how legendary his grit and grind truly are.
"There was a point in time I won't say it was 50/50 but it was [expletive] near there that I was going to walk out of that hospital with one leg," Woods said last year, revealing he was just happy to keep his leg after fearing potential amputation in the early days after the crash. "Once I [kept it], I wanted to test and see if I still had my hands."
I mean, when you consider what that leg has been through and what it looks like now, it's unfathomable that he's teed it up on Tour again at all. Over a year later, Woods continues to amaze the golf world simply by being back out on the course at all.
Woods traveled to Royal Troon Golf Club in Scotland for last week's Open, seeking his fourth Claret Jug. However, the punishing layout once again got the better of the 48-year-old, as he shot rounds of 79 and 77 to miss the cut by a wide margin. The rugged links-style course, with its small undulating greens and emphasis on accuracy, proved a difficult test while Woods is still hampered by the leg injuries.
Though he missed the cut at Open Championship on Friday, many credit his competitive spirit for battling through the pain to make starts in majors like the Masters, where he surpassed his own record by making his 24th consecutive cut at Augusta National in April.
While supporting his son Charlie Woods, the serious damage sustained in a 2021 car crash was on display as Tiger Woods walked around in shorts revealing scars.
— Mirror US Sports (@MirrorUSSports) July 23, 2024
Woods suffered open fractures in his tibia + fibula bones plus injuries to his foot and ankle.https://t.co/ozUIrZBuYA pic.twitter.com/QkfLzix7Ch
Woods says he won't play again until December's Hero World Challenge in the Bahamas and at the PNC Championship with Charlie. But through it all, fans can't help but admire Woods' legendary resolve to keep chasing his dream of competing, despite carrying reminders of the horrific injuries for all to now see. It's a testament to his grit and determination to not let even the threat of losing his leg stop his relentless pursuit of glory on the golf course.
While the results haven't exactly been there, we should just be grateful to see him out there giving it his all despite literally being half the man he used to be physically. It's an inspirational story for the ages.
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