Tiger Woods undergoes his seventh back surgery
The legendary golfer Tiger Woods underwent surgery for the seventh time on his back on Friday. This time, the procedure focused on replacing a disc in the lumbar area, which was causing him pain and mobility problems. Woods announced the news through his social media on Saturday, indicating that the surgery was performed in New York and that he considered it the right decision for his health and his problematic back. The athlete did not specify the recovery time he will need to return to playing golf, although it is not clear if his intention was to participate in the Hero World Challenge in the Bahamas or in the PNC Championship alongside his son, Charlie, both tournaments scheduled for December. The last time Woods competed was at the PNC Championship last year, where he lost in a playoff. This is the second surgical intervention Woods has undergone this year, following a procedure in March due to a rupture in the left Achilles tendon, and the second back surgery in the last 13 months. Woods explained that he made the decision to undergo surgery after consulting with several doctors and surgeons, due to the pain and lack of mobility he was experiencing in his back.The first of Woods’ seven back surgeries took place in April 2014, which eventually led to a fusion in his lower back in 2017. A year later, he won the Tour Championship and then achieved his 15th major and his fifth green jacket at the 2019 Masters. In February 2021, Woods suffered a car accident that fractured his right leg and ankle, which, according to Woods himself, almost cost him amputation. Woods returned to golf a year later, at the 2022 Masters.“The scans determined I had a collapsed disc at L4/5, disc fragments and a compromised spinal canal,” Woods wrote in his post on Saturday. “I opted to get my disc replaced yesterday, and I’m already feeling I made a good decision for my health and my back.”
Tiger Woods
Since the car accident, Woods has participated in only 15 tournaments in the last four years, four of them in the PNC Championship, where he can use a cart for the 36-hole event.
