It remains to be seen whether Tiger Woods will be able to take the course for the Hero World Championship or the PNC Championship with his son, Charlie, after he announced on Saturday that he underwent back surgery on Friday.
“The scans determined that I had a collapsed disc in L4/5, disc fragments and a compromised spinal canal,” Woods said in a social media post. “I opted to have my disc replaced yesterday, and I already know I made a good decisions for my health and my back.”
Doug Ferguson of the Associated Press reported it was the golfing legend’s seventh back surgery overall and second surgery of the year after he underwent surgery in March for a ruptured left Achilles tendon.
Woods, 49, hasn’t played professionally since the PNC Championship last year, and this year’s Hero World Championship and PNC Championship are both in December. That would be a quick turnaround after yet another back surgery, the first of which came in 2014.
He also underwent a lower-back fusion in 2017 and has played just 15 times in the last four years following a serious car crash in February 2021 that “shattered his right leg and ankle,” per Ferguson.
Four of those 15 events in the last four years came at the PNC Championship, where he is permitted to use a cart for the 36-hole tournament.
Woods is arguably the greatest golfer in the sport’s history with 15 major titles and 82 career PGA Tour wins. Only Jack Nicklaus (18) has won more majors, and Woods captured the attention of the entire sports world during his peak.
Injuries have largely prevented him from adding to his incredible resume of late, although his triumph at the 2019 Masters after his back fusion was one of the most memorable moments of his career.
Woods did not provide any specific details about a recovery timeline with his latest surgery announcement, although the procedure was considered a success.
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