Golf legend Tiger Woods has shockingly revealed he's had yet another back surgery, a serious blow to his golfing aspirations. As the sport reels from this news, it's understood that while his immediate future hangs in the balance, it seems Woods is aiming for a January comeback.
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The iconic five-time Masters winner faced a string of injuries and a significant reduction in playtime during a challenging 2024 season, punctuated by him bowing out from the rest of the year post-July following missed cuts at major championships including the Open and US PGA.
Woods had earlier expressed hopes to hit the greens again in December for both the Hero World Challenge and the PNC Championship, but his latest surgery casts these plans into severe jeopardy. Yet Sports Business Journal, via (The Mirror) claims Woods is optimistic about his return for the inaugural season of The Golf League (TGL), the competitive brainchild of Woods and Rory McIlroy positioned as a contender against LIV Golf.
"The surgery went smoothly, and I'm hopeful this will help alleviate the back spasms and pain I was experiencing throughout most of the 2024 season," Woods shared optimistically on his X account. "I look forward to tackling this rehab and preparing myself to get back to normal life activities, including golf."
Chronic back problems have overshadowed Woods' year from as early as the Genesis Invitational, leading to a limited participation strictly to majors, despite initial projections of participating in monthly tournaments.
The mere fact Woods is still competing is a remarkable achievement, considering he nearly lost his leg in a horrific car crash in 2021. The golfer's vehicle crossed into the opposite lane, crashed into a curb, and flipped upside down before smashing into the grassy curbside.
Following a lengthy recovery, Woods made his initial return at the 2022 Masters, finishing 47th, but then either didn't enter or missed the cut at every major championship until this year's Masters.
Despite his confidence at the start of the year, Woods conceded at Troon that he may have been overly optimistic. Speaking to reporters after missing the cut, the American said: "Hopefully next year will be a little bit better than this year.He elaborated: "I thought I could play a little bit more earlier in the year.
"I think I was a little bit too optimistic. I need to do a lot more work in the gym and keep progressing like we have," he commented. "I'm physically feeling a lot better than I did at the beginning of the year. At the end of last year, it was tough, and I haven't played a whole lot. I think that, as the year has gone on, I have gotten better.
"I just wish I could have played a little bit more, but I've been saving it for the majors just in case I do something pretty major and then take myself out of it." Tiger Woods has defiantly dismissed suggestions from fellow golfers, including Colin Montgomerie, to retire. The golf legend hit back, saying: "Well, as a past champion, I'm exempt [at the Open] until I'm 60.
Colin is not. He is not a past champion, so he's not exempt. So he doesn't get the opportunity to make that decision. I do. So when I get to his age, I get to still make that decision, where he doesn't." Despite the ongoing debate about his career's end, Woods has previously admitted uncertainty about his future in the sport, stating earlier in the summer: "As far as my last Open Championship or US Open Championship, I don't know what that is. It may or may not be. ".
