Tiger Woods has undergone another back surgery, this time a micro decompression procedure on his lumbar spine to alleviate nerve impingement in his lower back. The 48-year-old golf legend announced the surgery via a social media post on Friday, sharing that the procedure was performed in West Palm Beach, Florida. This marks at least the sixth back-related procedure Woods has had in the past decade.
Woods expressed optimism about the surgery’s success. “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 said in a statement. “I look forward to tackling the rehab and preparing myself to get back to normal life activities, including golf.”
The surgery was carried out by Dr. Sheeraz Qureshi of the Hospital for Special Surgery. While Woods remains focused on his recovery, his future in competitive golf remains uncertain, given the ongoing physical challenges he’s faced over the years.
Woods had a tough year on the course, participating in only five tournaments in 2024. He was forced to withdraw after just one round at the Genesis Invitational due to illness, though he made history by making the cut for a record 24th consecutive time at the Masters.
However, his performance afterward was lackluster; he finished 60th at the PGA Championship and missed the cuts at both the U.S. Open and British Open. In total, he completed just 11 official rounds of golf this year.
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Beyond his back issues, Woods continues to deal with lingering complications in his lower right leg, a result of the severe injuries he sustained in a near-fatal car crash in February 2021. Despite these setbacks, Woods remains determined to recover, as he has in the past.
This latest surgery adds to a long list of back procedures that Woods has endured, starting with a microdiscectomy in 2014. He had two more similar procedures in 2015 and another in 2020, just months before his car accident. In April 2017, Woods underwent a spinal fusion surgery, which at the time was thought to be career-ending.
Remarkably, he returned to competitive golf less than a year later, capturing the Tour Championship in 2018 and claiming his 15th major title at the Masters in 2019. Later that year, he tied Sam Snead’s all-time record of 82 PGA Tour wins with his victory at the ZOZO Championship.
Despite his current physical challenges, Woods remains active in the sport off the course. He participated in events earlier this week at the Nexus Cup, held at Liberty National in New Jersey, in collaboration with his TGR Foundation. Woods has indicated that he doesn’t plan to compete again this year until the Hero World Challenge in December, an event in the Bahamas that benefits his foundation.
As Woods embarks on yet another phase of recovery, golf fans around the world are left wondering if this latest surgery will enable him to return to competitive play or if it signals the winding down of one of the most iconic careers in sports history.
