Tiger: Running 'pretty much destroyed my body and my knees'

Tiger Woods wouldn't suggest young golfers take up running.

During a Q&A with fans, Woods was asked: "If you had one thing you could go back in time and tell your younger self, what would it be?" He responded with: "Yeah, not to run so much."

"Running over 30 miles a week for probably my first five, six years on Tour pretty much destroyed my body and my knees," he said.

According to Golf.com's Nick Piastowski, Woods used to start his day off with a four-mile run. He'd then lift at the gym, golf for two-to-three hours, and work on his short game. He'd cap his day off with another four-mile run, then possibly some basketball or tennis.

Tiger won 13 of his 15 career major championships prior to the age of 33 before his body began to betray him. He's had four knee surgeries - three between 2002 and 2008 - and underwent four back surgeries in a span of three years, including a spinal fusion in 2017. At one point, he feared he wouldn't be able to walk again.

Physical concerns caused a red-hot Tiger to sit out all of Saturday at the Presidents Cup in December. His back forced him to miss the Arnold Palmer Invitational in February and the Players Championship in March, the latter of which was eventually canceled due to the coronavirus.