The current Tiger Woods, the one who is ranked 62nd in the world, still has the No. 1 Tiger Woods in him. Whether that's good is yet to be determined.
Multiple media outlets reported Wednesday that Woods, the most dominant player in golf between 1997 and 2013, has decided to take an indefinite leave of absence so he can find that golf game that No. 1 Tiger once had.
Golf insiders say Tiger Woods needs to take a break from golf
He posted the following on his website:
"The last two weeks have been very disappointing to me, especially Torrey, because I never want to withdraw. Unfortunately, lately injuries have made that happen too often.
"This latest injury is not related to my previous surgery. I am having daily physical therapy and I am feeling better every day.
"Right now, I need a lot of work on my game, and to still spend time with the people that are important to me. My play, and scores, are not acceptable for tournament golf. Like I've said, I enter a tournament to compete at the highest level, and when I think I'm ready, I'll be back. Next week I will practice at Medalist and at home getting ready for the rest of the year. I am committed to getting back to the pinnacle of my game. I'd like to play The Honda Classic -- it's a tournament in my hometown and it's important to me -- but I won't be there unless my game is tournament-ready. That's not fair to anyone. I do, however, expect to be playing again very soon."
Tiger Woods says goal is be ready for the Masters
His close friend, former golfer and current analyst Notah Begay, said Woods needed a break from the game; Woods may be listening.
But this is the crossroad in which Woods finds himself. He wants to spend time with the people that are important to him but is committed finding the old Tiger.
Rumors have swirled for years that Woods doesn't practice nearly as much as he used to. Part of that is due to injuries, but the Tiger of yesteryear also seemed singular in purpose and everything else - including "the people that are important" to him - were secondary.
He said he needed a break, but the Golf Channel reported that Woods' next schedule start was the Honda Classic from Feb. 26-March 1, anyway. He said previously that he wanted his game to be in shape in time for the Masters, which still sounds reasonable. But if he feels his game has returned before the Honda Classic in two weeks, he won't miss any events, which shows the stubbornness of the old Tiger.
Only Woods will be able to determine when he's fit to return, but has already returned multiple times in the past year - only to encounter inconsistent play and more injuries.
In his latest return to golf, he finished last in his 18-player Hero World Challenge in December, and then missed the cut at the Waste Management Phoenix Open after shooting a second-round 82 for his worst score in a pro event.
He withdrew from the Farmers Insurance Open after 11 holes because his back stiffened on him.
The question becomes: Will Tiger be able to tell whether he's ready to return?
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