Rory tempers expectations for Tiger's return: 'He's not Superman'

Rory McIlroy offered perspective on a potential return for Tiger Woods after the 15-time major winner suffered serious leg injuries in a single-vehicle rollover near Los Angeles on Tuesday.

"He's not Superman," McIlroy said Wednesday, according to TeeScripts. He added: "He's a human being at the end of the day. And he's already been through so much.

"At this stage, I think everyone should just be grateful that he's here, that he's alive, that his kids haven't lost their dad. That's the most important thing. Golf is so far from the equation right now, it's not even on the map at this point."

Woods' history of overcoming injuries throughout his career has many hoping he'll one day be able to return to the PGA Tour.

Bryson DeChambeau said he has "no doubt" the 45-year-old will come back, and Dustin Johnson wrote on Twitter that he's wishing Woods "a quick recovery and a Ben Hogan-style comeback. If anyone can do it, it's TW."

Hogan famously won six majors after a near-fatal car accident in 1949 left him with several severe injuries, including a double fracture of his pelvis.

But McIlroy said he believes Woods already completed a Hogan-esque feat when he went from "hardly being able to walk" in 2017 to Masters winner in 2019.

"I can't think of any greater comeback in sports," he said.

Even if Woods doesn't return to compete on the PGA Tour again, McIlroy is confident the icon isn't going anywhere.

"It may be the end of seeing the genius at work with a club in his hand," he said. "But there's still a lot of other ways that he can affect the game in a great way."