Tiger Woods has broken his silence following a back surgery. The legendary golfer underwent a micro decompression surgery of the lumbar spine, aimed at addressing nerve impingement, at a medical facility in West Palm Beach, Florida. The procedure, performed by Dr. Sheeraz Qureshi from the Hospital for Special Surgery, was Woods’ sixth back operation in the last decade.
“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 announced via social media on Friday.
“I look forward to tackling the rehab and preparing myself to get back to normal life activities, including golf,” he added.
This latest surgery comes after a challenging period for Woods, who has faced multiple health issues, including persistent issues stemming from a serious car crash in February 2021. Despite these obstacles, Woods’ competitive spirit has never waned.
In the 2024 season, he participated in five tournaments, despite his struggles with back spasms. He made the cut at the Masters for the 24th consecutive time, although he finished 60th. Unfortunately, he had to withdraw from the Genesis Invitational after one round due to illness and missed the cuts at both the U.S. Open and the British Open.
Woods’ history of back surgeries is extensive. He has undergone several microdiscectomy procedures – in 2014, twice in 2015, and once again in 2020 – as well as a spinal fusion surgery in April 2017 that many thought would end his career.
Defying those expectations, he made an impressive return to competitive golf within a year, achieving remarkable milestones including a victory at the Tour Championship in 2018, his fifteenth major title at the Masters in 2019, and tying Sam Snead’s record with his 82nd PGA Tour title at the ZOZO Championship later that year.
Earlier this week, Woods made an appearance at the Nexus Cup held at Liberty National in New Jersey, which was organized by the TGR Foundation. Although he will not participate in any more competitive golf events for the remainder of the year, Woods has set his sights on the Hero World Challenge in early December, an event benefiting his foundation.
Woods isn’t expected to pick up a golf club competitively for the rest of the year, or at least until the Hero World Challenge in the Bahamas this coming December.
Fans of the sport will be looking forward to welcoming the legendary sportsman back after what’s expected to be a rigorous rehab regimen. But, as he’s shown us again and again, this isn’t going to stop him for long.
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