"That’s more important than golf": Tiger Woods' back injury helped him 'realize' the most important thing in life

Tiger Woods is considered by many to be the greatest golfer that ever lived. The 47-year-old has had his ups and downs and been through several lean patches in his career, not to mention a highly publicized scandal that led to his divorce, but he has made several strong comebacks and shown no sign of turning his back on the course just yet.

Back when he was 39, Woods was interviewed by journalist Lorne Rubenstein for Time. This interview took place when a lot of people thought that after turning 40, the legend would probably hang up his boots.

At this point, he was also struggling with a lot of injuries, but we all know how he brilliantly won the Masters in 2019.

This interview was taken four years before that historic comeback, so let us look back at what the legend had to say then.

In 2015, Woods was plagued by a series of back spasms. As a result, he missed a host of tournaments. He also underwent major surgery, following which he did not play for 16 months.

Woods' injury repercussions

When asked about how he was holding up, Woods said that he "had just started walking."

He told Rubenstein:

"I walk 10 minutes on the beach. That’s it. Then I come back home and lie back down on the couch, or a bed."

He also mentioned that with this particular injury, there was no timetable for recovery, and we now know how long it was before he was a hundred percent.

How did Woods get injured and what saved him?

He also told Time about how he got injured, explaining how he was hurt and down on the ground after hitting a particular shot without any means to call for help. Eventually, his daughter was the savior.

"I was practicing out back at my house," he said in the interview. "I hit a flop shot over the bunker, and it just hit the nerve. And I was down. I didn’t bring my cell phone. I was out there practicing and I end up on the ground and I couldn’t call anybody and I couldn’t move.

"Well, thank God, my daughter’s a daddy’s girl and she always wants to hang out. She came out and said, 'Daddy, what are you doing lying on the ground?' I said, 'Sam, thank goodness you’re here. Can you go tell the guys inside to try and get the cart out, to help me back up?' She says, 'What’s wrong?' I said, 'My back’s not doing very good.' She says, 'Again?' I say, 'Yes, again, Sam. Can you please go get those guys?'"

The importance of kids in Woods' life

Going on to talk about his kids, the golfer mentioned how it did not matter if he had to give up golf because of his injuries because, for him, the most important thing in life was to spend time with his kids and watch them grow.

"The most important thing, though, is that I get to have a life with my kids," he said. "That’s more important than golf. I’ve come to realize that now.

"To watch my kids and play sports and to grow up and participate, and even teach them how to become better, oh my God, it gives me so much joy. I can’t imagine not being able to do that as I get older."

When asked by Rubenstein whether spending time with the kids was more important than winning a golf tournament, he said:

"Absolutely. No doubt. My kids are more important to me than anything else in the world."

Woods also admitted to Times that it was the injury that made him see his life and his objectives from a different perspective, before which he might not have realized their importance in his life.

When asked about why this realization had not hit him before, Woods told Rubenstein:

"One, the kids were still young, they weren’t into as many things. Prior to that, when I didn’t have kids, it would never enter my mind. Are you kidding me? What am I going to do, go bass fishing? No.

"But now, to watch my kids and play sports and to grow up and participate, and even teach them how to become better, oh my God, it gives me so much joy. I can’t imagine not being able to do that as I get older."

Woods also emphasized in the interview the fact that he would not be able to live with himself if he was not a part of his kids' formative years:

"It’s more important for me to be with my kids. I don’t know how I could live with myself not being able to participate in my kids’ lives like that. That to me is special. Now I know what my dad felt like when we’d go out there and play nine holes in the dark."