Tiger Woods back on the range – golf great hitting balls again
Tiger Woods teased the prospect of a comeback as he issued a video of him swinging a golf club again, raising hopes of his millions of fans.
Three seconds was all it took for Tiger Woods to show he may just have a golfing future.
The 15-time major winner, whose career has been in doubt since he was severely injured in a high-speed car crash in February, released a short video on Sunday showing him playing an iron shot.
It was the first time the world has seen the all-time great swing a club since he was lucky to escape with his life from that scrape.
Woods, 45, badly fractured his right leg and needed emergency surgery after his single-car smash in California, while he also sustained foot and ankle injuries.
Extensive rehabilitation has followed, and the former long-time world number one is up to hitting balls again, representing a huge step forward in his recovery.
In the brief clip, he is shown in shorts, with a protective stocking over his right leg. Although the video shows Woods hitting only one shot, he is on the range with a bucket of balls at the ready.
He posted the video along with a short message – "Making progress".
It raises hopes – for Woods and fans of golf – that the American superstar may be able to return to competition on the PGA Tour, perhaps as soon as next year.
Woods said in May that his objective was to be able to walk again unaided, but it appears he is now well past that stage.
Los Angeles police said in April that Woods' crash was caused by excessive speeds that led him to lose control of the vehicle he was driving.
Police examined data recorded from the vehicle – a 2021 Genesis GV80 SUV – and found he was driving at speeds in excess of 80mph in an area with a 45mph speed limit.
He was traveling at an estimated 75mph when he hit a tree, with officers believing the five-time Masters champion might have inadvertently hit the accelerator instead of the brake as there was no evidence of braking.