January 20, 2021 | BY AAGD STAFF
On Tuesday, golfer Tiger Woods announced that he recently underwent back surgery and will miss at least two events on the PGA Tour. The operation is Woods’s fifth back surgery, including a 2017 spinal fusion procedure that led to a remarkable comeback, capped by a triumph at the 2019 Masters.
The recent surgery marks the third time that Woods has undergone the less drastic microdiscectomy procedure, which he had done before, between 2014 and 2015. The 45-year-old said this time the procedure was aimed at removing “a pressurized disc fragment” that was pinching his nerve and causing “discomfort” at the PNC Championship.
In December 2020, Woods played alongside his 11-year-old son Charlie—who wowed spectators with his golfing skills. Following the surgery, Woods’ medical team deemed his microdiscectomy to have been a success and “expect him to make a full recovery,” per his social media announcement, he is withdrawing from two California events at which he has been a fixture over the years: January’s Farmers Insurance Open at Torrey Pines and February’s Genesis Invitational at Riviera Country Club.
According to Woods, he still plans to host the Genesis Invitational, adding, “I look forward to begin training and am focused on getting back out on Tour.”
Golf Digest cited sources in reporting that the “hope” for Woods is to play in the Masters, scheduled to tee off April 8.
Woods has been under a siege of sorts, following several personal issues — many of which were brought back to public scrutiny through an HBO documentary this month — Woods’ leg injuries began to curtail a glorious playing career that had him on track to go down in history as the greatest player of all-time status, but his back sidelined him in 2014 when he was forced to sit out the Masters for the first time since 1995. Afterward, Woods played on-and-off in 2014 and 2015, without winning a single tournament; and, he did not compete at all in the 2016 PGA season; He disappointed many of his fans by missing the cut in his one 2017 PGA tournament, the Farmers Insurance Open.
At the Presidents Cup in December 2017, Woods participated as a non-playing assistant captain. Following an April spinal fusion surgery, he said that the constant pain he once experienced was “gone”, adding: “I don’t know what my future holds for me. … I just don’t know what my body is going to allow me to do.”
The fusion procedure was described by a one spinal surgery expert described as an “almost miraculous” outcome for Woods because he was able to play a full schedule in 2018 and, capped the season with a crowd-pleasing win in September at the Tour Championship. This win became his first PGA victory since 2013.
With his 2019 Masters victory Woods earned his 15th major title (his first since 2008). The win gave Woods a much better chance for reaching Jack Nicklaus’s record of 18.
Woods won the ZOZO Championship in Japan in October 2019, followed two months later by leading the USA to a 3-0 comeback win at the Presidents Cup in Australia. But, when Woods made it to the November 2020 Masters (delayed and rescheduled by the Coronavirus) his status was tied for 37th in his previous seven PGA events, going back to February’s Genesis Invitational.
Seeking a win to defend his Masters title and get major No. 16, Woods started out very well with a round of 68, but it didn’t last long and the former World No. l was out of contention by the final round. Reportedly Woods was having some problems with both his knee (operated on five times). At the end of the tournament, Woods finished tied for 38th.
“My body just has moments where it just doesn’t work like it used to,” he said then. “No matter how hard I try, things just don’t work the way they used to, and no matter how much I push and ask of this body, it just doesn’t work at times.”
