Tiger Woods' former caddie, Billy Foster, believes the golf star won't retire - despite his latest injury setback ahead of next month's Masters.
The American has confirmed that he's ruptured his Achilles tendon and, as a result, looks set for a spell on the sidelines.
Woods took to social media to say: "As I began to ramp up my own training and practice at home, I felt a sharp pain in my left Achilles, which was deemed to be ruptured.
"This morning, Dr Charlton Stucken of Hospital for Special Surgery in West Pal Beach, Florida performed a minimally-invasive Achilles tendon repair for a ruptured tendon.
"I am back home now and plan to focus on my recovery and rehab, thank you for all the support."
Woods has been plagued by injury issues over the past decade or so.
And many fans have been left fearful of what the future holds for a player widely considered to be one of the best all time.
Woods playing in the Masters looks highly unlikely now, in a setback to those hoping to see him roll back the years.
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Yet former caddie Foster, speaking to Genting Casino, has insisted that he's unlikely to walk away from the sport just yet.
"Tiger can still win on the tour, but he needs to play eight to ten events a year," he said.
"His leg is obviously very bad but if he can get any sort of strength in it, and can start playing just a handful of tournaments more than he has, he can still compete and I still believe he can win.
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"Tiger won't be thinking about the senior tour. He’s the strongest mind that I've ever come across.
"Obviously Jack [Nicklas] had a similar mentality but Tiger's been a different animal from any player I've seen over the 40 years of my caddying.
"He's the strongest mindset and the most elite athlete and the best player that I've ever seen.
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"To rule him out, you rule him out at your own peril, no matter if he's got one leg or not.
"If he's playing a little bit more and he gets match fit, he can win anywhere.
"So the senior tour will be the last thing on his mind."
Woods has won the Masters five times throughout his career.
His first victory at Augusta came back in 1997, when he won by 12 strokes to fend off competition from Tom Kite.
Woods' last triumph came in 2019, when he managed to pip Dustin Johnson, Brooks Koepka and Xander Schauffele to glory.
Find Out More...
The American has confirmed that he's ruptured his Achilles tendon and, as a result, looks set for a spell on the sidelines.
Woods took to social media to say: "As I began to ramp up my own training and practice at home, I felt a sharp pain in my left Achilles, which was deemed to be ruptured.
"This morning, Dr Charlton Stucken of Hospital for Special Surgery in West Pal Beach, Florida performed a minimally-invasive Achilles tendon repair for a ruptured tendon.
"I am back home now and plan to focus on my recovery and rehab, thank you for all the support."
Woods has been plagued by injury issues over the past decade or so.
And many fans have been left fearful of what the future holds for a player widely considered to be one of the best all time.
Woods playing in the Masters looks highly unlikely now, in a setback to those hoping to see him roll back the years.
JUST IN: Mohamed Salah behaviour will set off alarm bells after PSG beat Liverpool in Champions League
Yet former caddie Foster, speaking to Genting Casino, has insisted that he's unlikely to walk away from the sport just yet.
"Tiger can still win on the tour, but he needs to play eight to ten events a year," he said.
"His leg is obviously very bad but if he can get any sort of strength in it, and can start playing just a handful of tournaments more than he has, he can still compete and I still believe he can win.
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"Tiger won't be thinking about the senior tour. He’s the strongest mind that I've ever come across.
"Obviously Jack [Nicklas] had a similar mentality but Tiger's been a different animal from any player I've seen over the 40 years of my caddying.
"He's the strongest mindset and the most elite athlete and the best player that I've ever seen.
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"To rule him out, you rule him out at your own peril, no matter if he's got one leg or not.
"If he's playing a little bit more and he gets match fit, he can win anywhere.
"So the senior tour will be the last thing on his mind."
Woods has won the Masters five times throughout his career.
His first victory at Augusta came back in 1997, when he won by 12 strokes to fend off competition from Tom Kite.
Woods' last triumph came in 2019, when he managed to pip Dustin Johnson, Brooks Koepka and Xander Schauffele to glory.
Find Out More...