Tiger Woods will be his own worst enemy in his latest recovery process.
ESPN.com reported Tuesday that Woods' agent, Mark Steinberg said that the world's top golfer is engaging in "light chipping" and has suffered zero setbacks since his back surgery on March 31 to alleviate a pinched nerve.
Woods' procedure, called a "microdiscectomy," forced him to miss the Masters for the first time in 20 years, according to ESPN.
Woods missed four months with knee and Achilles injuries in 2011 but tried to come back to competitive golf a month after the Masters, only to withdraw from the Players Championship after nine holes because he came back too quickly.
"I've seen a very responsible approach to getting back," Steinberg said. "This is about the next 10 or 15 years, this is not about the next 10 weeks. This is not about targeting any specific tournament. If he needs to wait one or two or three extra weeks, he will. He's thinking about this very, very long term."
But if that were the case, then why would Woods suffer any setbacks just three weeks after surgery? The fact that he's already attempting to chip on the course represents the dichotomy in Woods. Yes, he needs to ensure that he is recovered from back surgery before he returns to competitive golf.
At the same time, the clock is ticking on what once seemed an inevitability, him surpassing Jack Nicklaus on the all-time Majors wins list. Tiger has been stuck on 14 for six years and still trails Nicklaus by four.
If he had the record, or even were closer to Nicklaus or had one a major or two in the last year, would he have the same sense of urgency to get back this season?
"He's doing a little bit more and more each day," Steinberg told ESPN.com. "He's getting to the point of light chipping and putting and the doctors and trainers seem to be pleased with where he is. He is on schedule but we don't know what that schedule means. I don't know when he intends to be playing competitively.
"But I expect it to be this summer. I know that's a wide range, but as the weeks go by we'll be able to pinpoint an approximate time. It's still a little early for that. Nothing that has gone on from the day of the surgery until today gives me any pause to amend what I said then. I know that's broad and vague but we can't pinpoint a specific time until we're further along."
In other words, Woods is in no rush in his rush to get back to competitive golf.
Do you think Tiger Woods will wait long enough to give his surgically repaired back enough time to recover? Comment below or tell us @SportsWN.
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