Tiger Woods played a first official practice round in some 10 months and revealed the extent of the pain in his back at times was so great all he could do was roll over in bed to p*** in a bucket.
Woods underwent a fourth back surgery on April 19 and returns to competition this Thursday when he starts in the Hero World Challenge.
Woods has not competed since withdrawing ahead of the second round of January's Dubai Desert Classic.
And if the golf world was in any doubt of Woods' fitness following fusion surgery on his spine, then the former long-time World No.1 clearly impressed just a handful of spectators watching him over nine holes mid-Monday morning local time on the Albany course in the Bahamas.
Woods clearly out-drove practice round partner Patrick Reed including out-driving him by 60-yards down the last and managing four birdies including a six-footer to start his round.
In fact, Woods outdrove Reed, the current World No. 23, on every driving hole by an average of 30 yards and showed no signs of any back concerns going 100% into every shot and not flinching at all.
But it was not like that post April’s surgery, with Woods revealing the full extent of his pain.
“Many may forget that I spent much of this year in bed. I couldn’t get out of bed just to have a p***," he said.
“Often I needed help just to get out of bed. Often, I would have to roll myself out of bed and take a p*** in a bucket because I physically could not do something as basis as go to the toilet by myself.
“The thing is pain is so personal and no-one knows the pain I endured. We know what nerve pain can be like and no one can go through it with you, and no-one could understand the pain I was going through.
“I was just taking drugs on top of drugs just trying to kill the nerve pain. I was like something hitting your body about 200 times a day.
“And the thing is that I didn’t know when it was coming.
“But that I am fully healthy again there is no way I cannot stay healthy. I can’t see any reason why not.
“Look I had surgery in 2001 [smiling]. I had surgery again in 2004 so we’ll see how it goes.
“People also have to know I am just coming back to golf and while I am pleased with how I am hitting the ball, it is still just small steps for me at the moment.”
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