Speculation has been mounting over the past few days over whether Tiger Woods is going to play in the Masters next week after his plane was spotted at the local airport in Augusta, Georgia, where the major golf championship event is held each year. 

Woods has been suffering from back issues during the past ten years, and broke a leg in a car crash in February of last year, so many had thought that he might be done with golf for good. Now, a renowned surgeon is weighing in on his chances of making a comeback. 

But first, check out a vintage interview moment.  If Tiger Woods had his way, he’d never stop chasing majors!

Will Tiger Woods Return To Golf In Time For The Masters? Surgeon Says:

Board-certified orthopedic surgeon Dr. Rahul Shah, who specializes in complex spine conditions and minimally invasive surgeries, told Fox News that while Tiger Woods’ history of injuries is “eye opening,” everyone recovers differently from injuries. 

“The truth is you have to take each injury one step at a time. If you kind of chronicle his injuries, you start with multiple bumps and bruises growing up and then he had the significant torquing injury to his back where he blew out one of his discs,” said Shah. 

“That gave him a problem, and he had to shave that down,” he added. “Then it happened again, so they did another shave down. But it wasn’t enough, so then they had to do a surgery to basically get all of the area where that disc wasn’t working well to basically have it fused together.”

Related: Tiger Woods Bursts Into Tears As He’s Inducted Into World Golf Hall Of Fame By His 14-Year-Old Daughter

Tiger Woods Seems To Be Bouncing Back

Shah went on to say that while the car accident was a setback, Woods appears to be bouncing back.

“Then he gets into this unfortunate (car) accident and what I can tell from what was leaked to the media, it seemed like it was going to be a while before he came back, and he’s made a significant recovery even faster than expected,” the doctor said.

Woods has not played a PGA tournament since the Masters in November of 2020. However, he’s been spotted on golf courses playing non-professionally since then. 

“Additionally, he’s made some significant progress with regards to playing small games,” Shah said. “There’s nothing like making progress in smaller arenas just to make sure you’re going to be able to make progress in bigger arenas. He recently had that father-son golf game, and he did well.”

Related: Tiger Woods Triggers Radical Left With His American Flag Mask At PGA Championship

Questions Over Possibility Of Re-Injuring Himself

While some may worry that Woods may injure himself further if he were to come back, Shah doesn’t seem too worried about this. 

“I think his likelihood for injury is higher. Is it catastrophic? The answer is no,” Shah said. “And the reason is because he’s basically gone through some smaller venues and has made progress and has been able to hold up. That tells you he has the stamina and ability to make progress.”

In the end, Shah seems to feel that Woods would be able to play the full four rounds if he enters the Masters. 

“I think there’s a significant possibility that he will, particularly because he’s been training for it,” Shah said. “We don’t see the training that he’s done behind the scenes. So, I do think that there is a really reasonable chance. I would put it better than say 80% he can make all four days.”

The Masters is set to begin on April 7, and will go through the 10th. Right now every serious golf fan wants to know if they’ll be seeing Tiger Woods on the green in Augusta!