Tiger Woods rules out full-time return to golf

In his first extensive interview since his February car crash, Tiger Woods told Golf Digest that he hopes to return to competitive golf — but that he never expects to compete full-time again.

What he's saying: "I think something that is realistic is playing the Tour one day — never full time, ever again — but pick and choose, just like Mr. [Ben] Hogan did. Pick and choose a few events a year and you play around that," Woods said.

• "You practice around that, and you gear yourself up for that. I think that's how I'm going to have to play it from now on. It's an unfortunate reality, but it's my reality. And I understand it, and I accept it."
• "I don't have to compete and play against the best players in the world to have a great life ... I can still participate in the game of golf. If my leg gets OK, I can still click off a tournament here or there."
• "But as far as climbing the mountain again and getting all the way to the top, I don't think that's a realistic expectation of me."
• "There was a point in time when, I wouldn't say it was 50/50, but it was damn near there if I was going to walk out of that hospital with one leg."

The bottom line: Woods hasn't been a dominant, year-round force for years. But it's still sobering to hear him admit that his run of greatness — the likes of which we may never see again — is essentially over.