Tiger Woods is the most well-known player in the world of professional golf. The legendary golfer once claimed that he enjoys playing video games during his free time away from the sport.
Woods claimed he has been a particularly big fan of video games, especially during the times when he has undergone rehabilitation due to surgeries. In a clip from 2020 during a tournament, Tiger Woods talked about how he brushed off Justin Thomas the night before to play Call of Duty. He said (via PGA Tour):
“JT [Justin Thomas] was texting me last night, ‘what are you doing right now?’. I said ‘Quit bugging me, I’m playing Call of Duty’. I brought my little purple Playstation and I was playing a little bit last night.”
Speaking about his video game preferences and traveling while playing, Woods said:
“I don’t like Fortnite. Everyone is different. But the majority of the younger guys do travel with their Playstations and play online and have a little bit of fun.”
Woods, when questioned about doing the Fortnite dance, said that it did not look good when he did it.
Tiger Woods talked about video games being a release while he was recovering from surgery
Tiger loves COD 🎮 pic.twitter.com/AHCqGNbSWm
— PGA TOUR (@PGATOUR) July 12, 2024
Tiger Woods underwent two major back surgeries in 2015. He underwent a microdiscectomy surgery to remove a disc fragment that was pinching his nerve. He followed that up with another surgery to relieve the discomfort in his back. Woods was out for the entirety of the 2015 season and missed out on the 2016 season as well.
Speaking about how he bided his time while recovering, Woods said on the Late Night Show with Stephen Colbert in 2016:
“Yeah, I’ve had two back surgeries since then. And you know, I like to practice and compete all day. That’s one of my things. I like to spend it out, but the thing is I wasn’t able to do that on the golf course. So I applied my same intensity and my craft, my focus to Call of Duty.” [3:50 – 4:05]
During the 2016-17 season, Woods only went on to play in two events. In April 2017, the 15-time Major champion underwent a fourth back surgery to address the pain in his back and legs. Speaking after the surgery, he said (via SkySports):
“When healed, I look forward to getting back to a normal life, playing with my kids, competing in professional golf and living without the pain I have been battling so long.”
Tiger Woods won the 2019 Masters, his last Major win. Woods suffered severe leg injuries due to a car crash in 2021 and he has since been struggling for form on the golf course.
