Tiger Woods is back in the news, and once again, unfortunately, not for what he did on a golf course. The 49-year-old California champion has undergone yet another back surgery: his second in the last thirteen months, and his seventh since 2014.
Through social media, Woods explained that he had undergone "an L4-L5 lumbar disc replacement." The operation was performed Friday morning by Professor Sheeraz Qureshi, the same one who operated on him in September 2024 in Palm Beach, at the Hospital for Special Surgery in New York.
In 2025, Woods had already been in the operating room once: in March, he underwent surgery for a ruptured left Achilles tendon.
Tiger Woods, statements
"After experiencing pain and difficulty moving my back," The Big Cat wrote in its post, "I consulted doctors and surgeons for tests. The scans revealed a collapsed disc at the L4/L5 level, disc fragments, and a compromised spinal canal. (...) I already know I made a good decision for my health and my back."
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Back problems, rebirth, and the accident
Since 2014, Tiger Woods has been struggling with recurring back problems. The decisive surgery appeared to be in 2017, after which the American returned to winning ways on Tour and, in 2019, won the Masters in Augusta, his 15th Major title.
The second turning point in his career came on February 22, 2021, when a car accident in Los Angeles left him with serious fractures to his right leg and ankle, leading to the threat of amputation.
Despite everything, the champion managed to return to the course at the 2022 Masters.
The player who has been a golfer for thirty years hasn't played since last December, when he participated in the PNC Championship for the fourth time with his son Charlie. The event, more spectacular than competitive, features professionals and family members competing in pairs. On that occasion, Woods was allowed to use a golf cart for the 36 holes of the competition.
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Since his car accident, Woods has played only 15 tournaments in four years and hasn't played a PGA Tour event since 2023, when he withdrew from the Open Championship at Royal Troon.
He had planned to play the Genesis Invitational in February, but withdrew after his mother's death the previous week.
Barring any unforeseen circumstances, Tiger is expected to return to action in the second season of TGL, the indoor golf league he co-founded and sponsors. The date is set for January 13, 2026, a date marked in red by fans.
