Tiger Woods undergoes another surgery with timeline unclear

Tiger Woods can add yet another surgery to his long list of procedures.

Woods, 49, underwent lumbar disk replacement surgery on Friday, he announced on social media.

“After experiencing pain and lack of mobility in my back, I consulted with Doctors and Surgeons to have tests taken,” Woods posted on X about the surgery, which was performed at the Hospital for Special Surgery in New York. “The scans determined that I had a collapsed disc in L4/5, disc fragments and a compromised spinal canal.

“I opted to have my disc replaced yesterday, and I already know I made a good decision for my health and my back.”

His timeline to return remains unclear.

Woods has already missed time from the PGA Tour this year after recovering from a ruptured Achilles tendon, which he suffered back in March.

It appears likely that Woods will miss his foundation’s event, The Hero World Challenge, and the PNC Championship in December. He has not competed since last year’s PNC.

Woods’ lower-back procedure is the most recent of seven surgeries that the legendary golfer has had on his back.

The 15-time major winner’s last back surgery came in September 2024 to fix a nerve impingement in his lower back.

Between 2014-17, Woods underwent four back surgeries, three microdiscectomy procedures, along with a spinal fusion surgery in April 2017, a move that could have been career-ending for the five-time Masters winner.

After missing nearly all of 2016 and 2017, Woods won the Tour Championship in 2018 and captured his fifth Masters win that following spring.

Since then, however, Woods has struggled to stay on the course due to various injuries, including open fractures to both his tibia and fibula bones that he suffered in a 2021 car crash that nearly led to the amputation of his right leg.