Woods last competed in an official PGA Tour event in July – when he missed the cut at The Open – and has played a limited schedule since a car crash in February 2021 that left him with career-threatening injuries.
The 15-time major champion elected against playing in The Players at TPC Sawgrass, the flagship event on the PGA Tour, with Woods confirming that he has undergone surgery on an Achilles injury.
In a statement posted on social media, Woods said: “As I began to ramp up my own training and practice at home, I felt a sharp pain in my left Achilles, which was deemed to be ruptured.
“This morning, Dr Charlton Stucken of Hospital for Special Surgery in West Palm Beach, Florida performed a minimally-invasive Achilles tendon repair for a ruptured tendon.
“I am back home now and plan to focus on my recovery and rehab, thank you for all the support.”
Woods’ latest injury is on the opposite side of the body to where he suffered “significant” damage in the 2021 car crash, with the 49-year-old now likely to miss The Masters next month at Augusta National.
Dr Stucken added in the statement: “The surgery went smoothly, and we expect a full recovery.”
Another setback in Tiger’s injury-hit career
Woods has only made 11 competitive starts since the car crash in 2021, struggling to contend at events during such a limited playing schedule.
He made a record-breaking 24th consecutive cut at The Masters last year, only to card back-to-back 78s over the weekend, then made early exits in all the other three majors.
Woods underwent “successful” surgery to alleviate “back spasms and pain” last September and wasn’t ready to compete at the Hero World Challenge in December, although did appear later that month – using a golf cart – alongside his son at the PNC Championship.
The 82-time PGA Tour winner was listed in the field to play at the Genesis Invitational – a tournament he hosts – in February before admitting he was ‘just not ready’ to compete, following the death of his mother earlier in the month.
Woods featured in the Seminole Pro-Member – a long-running event at Seminole Golf Club – on March 3 and has competed for Jupiter Links GC in the inaugural TGL season, where he revealed on March 4 that his “heart is not really into practising right now.”
He added that evening was only the third time he had touched a golf club that month, as he juggled mourning his mother with commitments on the PGA Tour, with Woods facing an extended spell on the sidelines.
Woods has yet to confirm when he can return to action. The Masters takes place at Augusta National from April 10-13, with the PGA Championship in May, the US Open in June and The Open rounding off the men’s major season at Royal Portrush from July 17-20.
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