Tiger Woods will continue to chase Jack Nicklaus’ record of 18 major championships, but he may not be able to do so by playing in four of them every year.
Woods finished with a total score of 13-under at the Masters. He struggled as the weekend went on, which was expected considering he is barely a year removed from a serious car crash that nearly cost him his leg. After his final-round 78 on Sunday, Tiger discussed his future plans with Sky Sports. He said he plans to play in The Open Championship at St. Andrews in July. He is unsure what his schedule will look like between now and then.
"I won't be playing a full schedule ever again. It'll be just the big events. I don't know if I'll be able to play (the PGA Championship) at Southern Hills or not, but I am looking forward to St. Andrews. That is something that is near and dear to my heart. You know, I've won two Opens there, it's the home of golf, it's my favorite golf course in the world. I will be there for that one.
"Anything in between that, I don't know. I will try, there's no doubt. This week, I will try to get ready for Southern Hills, and we'll see what this body is able to do."
There are two more majors between now and The Open. The PGA Championship is the next one. That tournament will begin on May 19 at Southern Hills Country Club in Oklahoma. After that is the U.S. Open, which is at The Country Club in Massachusetts on June 16.
Tiger said before the Masters that he would have to play through significant pain. He appeared to be limping at times, especially on Saturday and Sunday. He seemed to genuinely appreciate just being able to finish four rounds and the ovation he received as he came up the 18th fairway.
Woods needs three more major wins to match Nicklaus. That may sound like an impossible feat for a 46-year-old golfer with his injury history, but very few people thought Tiger would win the Masters three years ago. If his health cooperates, he will always have a chance to contend.
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