Tiger Woods changed golf forever. Beyond his 15 major championships and 82 PGA Tour victories, he revolutionized the way athletes prepare for the sport and inspired millions worldwide. However, no aspect of his legacy is more remarkable than his refusal to surrender to a body that has repeatedly betrayed him.
As a PGA Professional and Coach with seventeen years of award-winning service and nearly three decades in the golf industry, I’ve witnessed firsthand the transformative impact Tiger has had on this game. What follows examines his medical journey, a story of extraordinary physical suffering, surgical interventions, and comebacks that defy medical logic.
The Early Warning Signs: Knee Problems Emerge (2002-2008)
Tiger’s injury saga began earlier than most fans realize. In 2002, he underwent his first knee surgery to remove fluid and a benign tumor from his left knee. Looking back through the lens of his complete medical history, that surgery was the first crack in what would become a comprehensive physical breakdown.
The knee issues persisted. By April 2008, Woods underwent arthroscopic surgery to repair cartilage damage in his left knee. What happened next became legend and perhaps set a dangerous precedent for how Tiger would approach his body’s limitations.
Just two months after surgery, Woods competed in the 2008 U.S. Open at Torrey Pines. Over four grueling days, playing on what was essentially a broken leg, he battled Rocco Mediate in one of the most memorable championships in golf history. Woods prevailed in a playoff, capturing his 14th major championship while hobbling on a severely compromised left leg.
Days after that victory, Woods made a stunning announcement: he would miss the remainder of the 2008 season for reconstructive ACL surgery and to repair a double stress fracture in his left tibia. He had won the U.S. Open on a torn ACL and broken leg. The victory was heroic. In retrospect, it was also a preview of the physical toll Tiger would willingly endure in pursuit of victory.
The Back Problems Begin (2013-2017)
Tiger’s physical problems continued mounting. He withdrew from multiple tournaments in 2010 and 2011 with neck, Achilles, and knee injuries. In March 2011, Woods underwent surgery on both his left knee and Achilles tendon.
If those issues were concerning, what came next was career-threatening. Back problems emerged in 2013, and what started as occasional discomfort evolved into a condition requiring multiple surgeries.
In March 2014, Woods underwent his first back surgery, a microdiscectomy to alleviate a pinched nerve. The significance cannot be overstated: Tiger Woods missed the Masters for the first time in his career. For a player who had won four green jackets and contended in nearly every appearance, missing Augusta National was unthinkable.
The relief proved temporary. In September 2015, Woods underwent a second microdiscectomy. The pattern was troubling: surgical intervention would provide temporary relief, but the underlying problem persisted.
The year 2017 represented the nadir of Tiger Woods’ physical condition. He underwent two more back surgeries that year, including spinal fusion surgery (anterior lumbar interbody fusion, or ALIF) in April. Before the procedure, Woods described himself as barely able to walk or play with his children. The chronic pain had become so severe that basic daily activities were nearly impossible.
Spinal fusion is typically considered a career-ending procedure for a professional golfer. The loss of mobility, particularly in rotation, seemed incompatible with the demands of competitive golf at the highest level. Most medical experts and golf professionals believed Tiger’s competitive career was over.
They were wrong.
The Miraculous Comeback: 2018-2019, Including a Masters Victory
After the spinal fusion, Tiger Woods embarked on one of the most remarkable comebacks in sports history. He returned to competition in late 2017 and gradually regained his form throughout 2018.
Then came April 2019. At Augusta National, Tiger Woods won the Masters, his 15th major championship and first major victory in 11 years.
I was there that Sunday. Standing on the grounds at Augusta as Tiger made his way up the 18th fairway, the roar from the patrons was unlike anything I’d experienced in nearly thirty years around this game. Given the severity of his injuries and surgeries, given the spinal fusion that should have ended his career, Tiger’s victory transcended sport. It was a testament to human determination. I still get goose bumps thinking about that moment.
The Car Accident: February 23, 2021
Just when it seemed Tiger had overcome the impossible, tragedy struck again. On February 23, 2021, Woods was involved in a serious single-vehicle rollover accident in Los Angeles County. The injuries were severe and life-threatening:
- Comminuted open fractures affecting the upper and lower portions of his right tibia and fibula (multiple breaks with the bone piercing through skin)
- Injuries to the bones of his foot and ankle
- Trauma to the muscle and soft tissue of the leg requiring surgical release to relieve pressure
Woods underwent emergency surgery that included stabilizing the tibia with a rod, screws, and pins; stabilizing the foot and ankle bones with screws and pins; and surgical release of the muscle covering to relieve pressure from swelling.
Medical experts initially questioned whether Woods would walk normally again, let alone play competitive golf. Comminuted open fractures, where the bone breaks into multiple pieces and pierces through the skin, are among the most serious orthopedic injuries possible.
The Impossible Return: 2022 Masters
What happened next defied all medical logic and expectations. Tiger began the slow process of rehabilitation, progressing from crutches to a walking boot to walking without assistance. In December 2021, he appeared at the PNC Championship with his son Charlie, riding in a cart and showing he could still swing a golf club.
Then, in April 2022, just 14 months after the accident, Tiger Woods returned to compete in the Masters. He made the cut and completed 72 holes. While he struggled with mobility and stamina, the mere fact that he competed was considered miraculous by medical professionals.
I was fortunate to be at Augusta again that week. Watching Tiger navigate those hills, seeing him grimace with each step, yet never quit, was perhaps more impressive than his 2019 victory. Every step was a battle. Every swing required compensations. But he finished all four rounds.
Following the 2022 Masters, Tiger made limited appearances. He competed at The Open Championship at St. Andrews in July 2022, withdrew after Round 3 of the Genesis Invitational in February 2023 due to back spasms, and struggled through the 2023 Masters. Woods also underwent surgery for plantar fasciitis in 2023, adding yet another layer of complexity to his physical challenges.
The 2024 and 2025 Setbacks
Throughout 2024 and 2025, Tiger Woods has undergone two back surgeries and one Achilles tendon surgery while also withdrawing from a PGA Tour event due to illness. The frequency and severity of these medical interventions paint a sobering picture of an athlete whose body is breaking down despite his indomitable will.
In September 2024, Woods had a microdecompression procedure on his lumbar spine to address a nerve impingement. This was his sixth back surgery overall.
In March 2025, while training at home, Woods ruptured his left Achilles tendon and underwent successful minimally invasive surgery to repair it. The injury caused him to miss the Masters Tournament. The Achilles rupture was especially concerning because it occurred during routine training, not during competition.
The most recent and perhaps most significant surgery came in October 2025. After experiencing pain and lack of mobility, scans revealed Woods had a collapsed disc in his L4/5, along with disc fragments and a compromised spinal canal. He underwent lumbar disc replacement surgery, his seventh back surgery overall.
In a statement, Tiger said: “After experiencing pain and lack of mobility in my back, I consulted doctors and surgeons to have tests taken. The scans determined that I had a collapsed disc in L4/5, disc fragments and a compromised spinal canal. I opted to have my disc replaced yesterday and already know I made a good decision for my health and back.”
Understanding the Lumbar Disc Replacement
Tiger’s 2017 spinal fusion at L5-S1 gave him his career back. It relieved the chronic pain and allowed him to win the 2019 Masters. But fusions solve one problem while creating another.
When you fuse vertebrae together, you eliminate motion at that segment. The spine loses 15 to 20 percent of its rotational mobility. For most people, that’s an acceptable trade-off. For a professional golfer generating clubhead speeds over 120 mph, it’s a significant compromise.
The bigger issue is what happens above the fusion. The spine still needs to move. Those upper discs now absorb stress that would have been distributed across multiple levels. L4-L5 sat directly above Tiger’s fusion, and over the course of seven years, it took a beating. Add the trauma from the 2021 car accident. Add thousands of practice swings and competitive rounds. The disc deteriorated, then collapsed. Bone spurs formed. Nerve endings got compressed.
Tiger had two options. Another fusion would lock down L4-L5, stopping the pain but eliminating even more mobility. At some point, you fuse enough segments and the golf swing becomes mechanically impossible. The other option was artificial disc replacement. Instead of fusing the vertebrae, surgeons remove the damaged disc and insert an artificial one. The technology is relatively new compared to fusion. But it preserves motion while still decompressing the nerves and providing Woods’ stability.
For Tiger, that mattered. His swing requires rotation. Without it, he’s not competitive.
The procedure was performed at the Hospital for Special Surgery in New York, one of the top orthopedic centers in the country.
What Lies Ahead
Tiger hasn’t announced when he’ll return to competitive golf. Recovery from disc replacement surgery can take several months. The artificial disc requires time to integrate with the surrounding bone and tissue. His Achilles repair from March complicates the timeline further.
The back might not be his biggest problem. His fused ankle, the result of that horrific 2021 car accident, could be what ultimately keeps him off tour permanently. When you fuse an ankle, you eliminate the joint’s natural motion. That matters in golf. Players need to adapt to slopes and uneven lies. They need balance throughout the swing. Walking 72 holes on a championship course becomes an exercise in managing pain and compensating for lost mobility.
Woods hasn’t competed on the PGA Tour since the 2024 Open Championship. He’s played in the TGL simulator league. He walked alongside Charlie at the PNC Championship in December 2024. But competitive golf on tour? That remains a question without an answer.
The Complete Physical Toll
The surgeries keep piling up. Tiger’s body has been rebuilt piece by piece:
- 7 back surgeries (spinal fusion, disc replacement, multiple decompressions)
- 5 knee surgeries (ACL reconstruction, cartilage repairs, tumor removal)
- 2 Achilles tendon procedures
- Emergency surgery following the 2021 accident (rod, screws, pins)
- Plantar fasciitis surgery
- Ankle fusion
- Neck procedures and nerve treatments
No golfer has absorbed this much physical damage and kept playing at the elite level. Not even close. Tiger’s medical file tells two stories at once. One is about the brutal cost of chasing greatness. The other is about refusing to quit when your body gives you every reason to walk away.
Tiger’s Contributions to Golf
Tiger Woods changed how golfers train. Before him, fitness meant walking the course and maybe hitting the gym occasionally. Tiger treated golf like an athletic sport, bringing serious strength training and conditioning into a game that had resisted both. Other players had no choice but to follow.
He brought golf to people who had never seen themselves in it. Kids from backgrounds that country clubs historically ignored picked up clubs because of Tiger. I’ve coached for seventeen years, and I can tell you that shift was real and lasting. The game grew beyond its traditional borders because one man made it look different.
Prize purses increased across professional golf. Television ratings spiked when Tiger played. Sponsors paid more. Every player on tour benefited financially from his presence, whether they admitted it or not.
Tiger made golf matter to people who didn’t care about golf. He became famous in a way golfers don’t usually become famous. That cultural crossover brought attention and legitimacy that the sport had been chasing for decades.
A Legacy Beyond Victories
The medical story of Tiger Woods serves as a cautionary tale while also inspiring us at the same time. Playing through that kind of pain exacts a price. Bodies break down. Determination alone can’t fix everything, no matter how strong the will behind it.
But watching him win the 2019 Masters after spinal fusion surgery, or compete at the 2022 Masters fourteen months after nearly losing his leg, revealed something about what humans can endure and overcome. His refusal to quit, despite his body having every biological reason to stop, speaks to resilience at a level most of us will never understand.
There won’t be another Tiger Woods. Not in our lifetimes. He changed everything about this game: how it’s played, taught, marketed, and perceived. The transformation was complete.
Will we see him compete again? I think so. Will he win another major? That hope has mostly left me, though I’d love to be wrong. If anyone in golf history could pull off one more impossible victory, it would be him.
The man has made a career out of proving people wrong.
This medical journey, brutal as it has been to watch, adds another dimension to what he has already accomplished. Greatness costs something. Tiger paid in full, with interest. Yet he kept coming back. That persistence, even when his body screamed at him to stop, deserves respect regardless of how his story ends.
His place in history is settled. Three decades of moments that transcended golf. Memories that will outlast all of us. The medical battles continue. The outcome stays uncertain. But the legacy is finished. Complete.
What comes next is extra — an epilogue written by someone who wouldn’t let anyone else hold the pen.
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Related: The Hidden Battle: Mental Health in the World of Golf
This story was originally reported by Athlon Sports on Oct 13, 2025, where it first appeared in the Golf section. Add Athlon Sports as a Preferred Source by clicking here.
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