(NewsNation) — Barely a year after a car accident broke both of his legs, Tiger Woods is in contention again at The Masters. A physical therapist says it’s “remarkable” that he has made it this far so soon.
“It just goes to show Tiger is not like anybody else,” said Dr. Zachary Walton, the National Director of Quality and Research at PT Solutions Physical Therapy.
Thursday, Woods shot a 1-under par round, leaving him in a nine-way tie for 10th. He has three more rounds to try to capture his sixth Masters win and 16th major championship.
The fact that a 46-year-old is in this position is unique. Woods’ injuries — both from the car accident and wear and tear from decades of playing — make it unprecedented.
Walton says Woods likely doesn’t find swinging too difficult, but each round also includes walking the full course, which is more than four miles. He said it’s similar to someone running a marathon.
“Augusta is a very hilly course,” Walton said Thursday on “NewsNation Prime.” “Now we’re going to see how does he handle walking multiple miles on those hills day in, day out and still compete at a high level.”
After the round Thursday, Woods said, “I am as sore as I expected to feel.”
The next challenge will be compounding that soreness with as many as three more rounds.
“By the end of [Thursday’s] round he had a few wayward drives and that may have had to do with fatigue,” Walton said. “There’s nobody who’s set a precedent for an injury like this.“
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