First video of Woods hitting balls since crash

LOS ANGELES • Golf icon Tiger Woods posted a video of himself hitting balls on Sunday, delivering an upbeat update on his recovery from serious leg injuries suffered in a February car crash.

"Making progress," the 15-time Major champion said in the caption for the video. The 45-year-old looked at ease, wearing shorts with a compression stocking on his right leg, which was shattered after he crashed his SUV in a Los Angeles suburb in February.

The injuries to Woods' lower leg and foot raised fears for the future of his astonishing career, with no timeline set for his return.

However, his close friend and fellow PGA Tour pro Justin Thomas said in a podcast recently that Woods was "going to try" to make a comeback.

"I know that he's going to try," the world No. 6 said on the No Laying Up podcast. "I don't see him ever playing if he can't play well.

"He doesn't strike me as a guy who's played at home and he's shooting a bunch of 75s and 76s and he's like, 'OK, I'm gonna give Augusta a try this year'.

"That's not really gonna be him, at least from my understanding, what I know of him."

Thomas was among thousands who replied to Woods' social media posting, tweeting several hand clapping emojis and saying: "But, I think I love this more."

The former world No. 1, with 82 PGA Tour wins, has returned from career-threatening injuries before, including spinal fusion surgery, but this is his biggest test yet.

Woods indicated in April his recovery was progressing slowly and told Golf Digest in May his current injury rehabilitation "had been an entirely different animal" than anything he had experienced before.

AGENCE FRANCE-PRESSE, REUTERS