Golf: Tiger Woods' unexpected advice to younger self

Tiger Woods has lived a storied life so far and has, what would appear to be, some unlikely advice for his younger self. Photo / Photosport

Tiger Woods has revealed the one piece of advice he would give to his younger self, and it's not what you'd expect.

In 2009, Woods' then-rosy reputation was tarnished by tabloid reports of infidelity and an alleged altercation with his wife that ended in a car crash.

Then in 2017, the former world number one pleaded guilty to reckless driving after Florida police found him asleep at the wheel of his car, the engine still running. An unfortunate combination of pain medication was blamed for the misstep by Woods.

Despite the negative effects these events had on his reputation, when asked about the advice he'd give his younger self, Woods pointed to his health as being a more important thing to look after in life.

When asked the question by a fan on Golf TV, the five-time Masters winner responded, "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," the 44-year-old Woods said.

There seems to be plenty of evidence of the ill-effects of that training as, over the years, Woods' career has been stalled by four back and five knee surgeries.

Woods had to pull out of the Arnold Palmer Invitational and The Players Championship because of a back injury before the Covid-19 pandemic put the PGA Tour on hold.