When Barack Obama came to know of Tiger Woods’ car accident this week, he said on Twitter: “Goat of Golf” had written to the former president. “If we have learned anything in a few years, he will never count Tiger.”
But is this really the end of Woods’ golf career?
Certainly, his injuries make up for Grimm readings – his tibia requires multiple fractures, metal rods, broken bones through the skin, and countless screws and pins in his legs and ankles. Factor in five back surgeries (most recently in December 2020) and ongoing issues with his left knee, and it’s hard to see how his road to recovery is going to be anything other than long and arduous, as Jonathan Gelber, orthopedic surgeon and author, explains “Tiger Woods Back and Tommy John’s Elbow: Injuries and Tragedies that Transformed Careers, Sports and Society,”.
He says, “Tiger will be helped in his daily activities, but playing sports is another matter, especially at a higher level.” “” His bones can heal anywhere from 8-12 weeks, but it often takes at least a year to get a high-level athlete for full performance. “
But Woods can draw inspiration from the nine-time major winner, the late Ben Hogan, who suffered a fatal car accident in the early morning of February 2, 1949.
Hogan was driving home with his wife Valerie in Fort Worth, Texas, losing in the playoffs at the Phoenix Open. In dense fog, he was crawling in his new Cadillac sedan along Highway 80 east of El Paso, Texas, when he collided with a Greyhound bus on another road. With an inevitable bump, Hogan threw himself over Valerie on the passenger’s seat, ensuring her death.
But Hogan paid the price, due to a double-fracture of the pelvis, a broken ankle, a broken collar bone, chipped ribs, deep cuts and injuries around his left eye and near fatal blood clots. paid to.
Initially, news wires reported that Hogan had died – which, with little left of his car, was hardly surprising.
Then the doctors said that he could not walk again, yet play golf alone.
Hogan spent 59 days in an El Paso hospital before getting a train back to Fort Worth to begin rehabilitation. Within nine months, during which he learned to walk all but again, he was back on the golf course.
Within 16 months, he was the US Open Champion in 1953, having enjoyed a resounding run of success after winning the Triple Crown of the Masters, US Open and British Open in 1953.
“Eventually, I found a place where I could play a little bit,” Hogan told CBS in 1983. … I was better than ever in 1948 and ’49. “
Success in the course made it both physically and mentally disturbing. Although Hogan never actually succumbed to his injuries – his legs were regularly elevated – the idea that he was not the same player he once was, however disastrous the results suggested otherwise.
“Soon after Hogan’s death, Valerie said,” Ben was betrayed during the year at the time of the accident. “As he got older, he realized the loss. There was sadness. “
Can Woods Imitate Ben Hogan? He certainly needs all the great champions – to witness his return to the Masters in 2019 – but there is a significant difference between the two.
Hogan was just 36 years old when he had an accident, and Woods is now 45 years old. As Gelber explains, this will be important.
“The difference of about 10 years is also a huge variable in healthy athletes, who let alone recover from high-energy trauma,” he says. “So Tiger’s age and previous injuries will be a major factor. He will return for his daily chores, but playing the game, especially at a higher level, is another matter. “
So does Woods have a body over it? Gelber is not so sure.
“He has already lost momentum in his back from his spinal fusion operation,” he says. “It’s like a slingshot. The farther you pull it back, the more energy it will generate for the launch. The same is true with the golf swing. Every degree matters. “
May be twenty-five years old in pro golf, but Woods is young enough for his fracture to successfully heal based on the location of the break. An isolated shaft fracture can be treated with a rod, which allows for immediate weight-bearing, but if it involves the joint, further reports suggest that Woods will be able to keep his feet for 6-8 weeks Can distance himself from it, possibly more.
Rehabilitation will be the major. Typically, it involves four stages – the first of which will be to reduce pain and swelling and improve range of motion while healing injuries. Once the bones heal, Woods will begin to strengthen the muscles and bones in his legs before moving on to more complex movements designed to improve mobility. Finally, he will begin work on more sports-specific exercises.
“Each phase can take weeks or months depending on the type of surgery or person,” Gelber says. “It can easily take at least a year to restore speed, power and coordination.”
Time will tell, but if Hogan’s miraculous recovery could provide inspiration – and by 1953 he was a national hero, enjoying the ticker-tape parade on Broadway – Woods could see some light at the end of this latest tunnel is.
Certainly, Gelber would not wager against another comeback.
“When I was editing the final draft of my book, Tiger was ranked 100th in the world,” he says. “Then he won the Masters, so I had to change the ending.
“I know more than anyone how much he can surprise you.
“You can never rate a tiger.”
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