Tiger Woods eyes Open after injury travails and brutal rehab

Tiger Woods has said that his arduous recovery from major injury has been worth it as he gears up for the Open Championship.

But the 15-time major winner admitted he does not know how much longer he can compete at the top level.

The 46-year-old American star, who continues to struggle with pain in his right leg following the severe injuries he sustained in a car accident in Los Angeles last year, said he was always determined to play at the 150th Open.

Woods played in the Masters in April but withdrew from the USPGA Championship after three rounds in May and did not participate in last month's US Open.

He is currently preparing for the final major of the year at the star-studded JP McManus Pro-Am at Adare Manor, albeit using a cart to get around the 2027 Ryder Cup venue.

"I’ve gotten a lot stronger since the PGA that’s for sure," Woods said on Tuesday.

"Putting in a lot more reps, which has been great. I still prefer riding in a cart. I’m doing that here because I just don’t need to push it right now.

"I’ve got a long week ahead of me and all of next week to do that. So, save the legs, we can still train as hard as we do each and every day but as far as the duration on my feet, let’s just try and keep that to a minimum until we have to and then, when we have to, let’s go."

Asked whether missing the US Open was part of his plan to prepare for St Andrews, he said: "No, the plan was play the US Open but physically I wasn’t able to do that. There’s no way physically I could have done that. I had some issues with my leg and it would have put this tournament in jeopardy and so there’s no reason to do that.

"This is a pretty historic Open that we’re going to be playing. I’m lucky enough to be part of the past champions that have won