Tiger Woods planning to play in Masters over a year after car accident

Is Tiger Woods about to make his triumphant Masters Tournament return? 

Woods said Tuesday he's currently planning to play in the Masters over one year after being injured in a serious car accident. 

"As of right now, I feel like I am going to play," Woods said. "As of right now. ... My recovery has been good. I've been very excited about how I've recovered each and every day, and that's been the challenge." 

In February 2021, Woods was hospitalized after being involved in a single vehicle car accident, and doctors at the time said he suffered "significant orthopedic injuries" to his leg. By May, Woods told Golf Digest his recovery has been "more painful than anything I have ever experienced," and he said he was focused on "my No. 1 goal right now: walking on my own."

But on Sunday, Woods said he was headed to the Augusta National Golf Club, where the Masters Tournament is being held, to "continue my preparation and practice," adding it would "be a game-time decision on whether I compete." This would be his first competitive tournament since the accident, The Washington Post notes. 

In a press conference Tuesday, Woods said he's "worked hard" toward a potential return to competition, and he thanked the surgeons and physical therapists who have helped him get to a place where this is a possibility. 

"It's been a tough, tough year, and [there's been] a lot of stuff that I've had to deal with that I don't wish on anyone," he said. "But here we are." 

Woods said he has no "qualms about what I can do physically from a golf standpoint," noting it's walking that's "the hard part." Still, he said this is "a challenge that I'm up for," and when asked if he believes he can win the Masters, Woods quickly responded, "I do."