Browsing: Woods

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When news broke recently that both Kofi Kingston and Xavier Woods of the New Day were staying put in WWE, having agreed to new contract extensions, it came as little surprise. After all, the duo have been in the WWE system for 19 and 15 years respectively, and have been among the most consistent stables/tag teams during that time, with little reason to leave. And yet, at least one of them was keeping all of their options open.

Fightful Select reports that, while details surrounding Kingston’s negotiations with WWE aren’t clear, given his deal was reached quietly several months ago, that is not the case for Woods. Instead, the former King of the Ring winner’s extension with WWE was said to have “come down to the wire,” indicating that Woods was close to hitting the free agent market before agreeing to terms with WWE.

For those thinking this was a situation where Woods was potentially seeking leverage, that also doesn’t appear to be the case. While Woods’ preference was to remain with WWE, he also found himself in a position where he wouldn’t have to compromise regarding terms, allowing him to make a decision that would be “what was best for him.” In the end, Woods decided the best decision was to stay.

Given how close Woods got to becoming a free agent, it would suggest Woods may have had some interest in speaking with AEW, where Woods’ long-time frenemy Kenny Omega and long-time friends Adam Cole and Claudio Castagnoli work. However, there is no indication that Woods, nor Kingston months earlier, had any contact with AEW.

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Xavier Woods’ contract with WWE was coming to an end soon, which led to several speculations about whether he would decide to join AEW instead. However, a recent report claims that a decision has been reached at the last minute.

Woods has been quite active in WWE, teaming up with his New Day stablemate Kofi Kingston and now Grayson Waller in recent times. However, his contract situation was unresolved for quite a while, which has since been sorted out between the involved parties.

The lateness of the decision had, as the Fightful report claims, indicated Woods’ wish to keep his options open despite wanting to star in WWE. Nevertheless, the Stamford-based promotion was able to work out a deal with the veteran star.

It now appears that fans desiring to see his AEW entry will have to wait for an undetermined duration of time.

Xavier Woods has re-signed with WWE on a multi-year contract.

– @SeanRossSapp | @FightfulSelectpic.twitter.com/il7PvvCo8s

— WrestlePurists (@WrestlePurists) October 7, 2025

Xavier Woods has also confirmed his WWE contract status

The 39-year-old star was apparently surprised to see that his contract status was already being reported before he had a chance to break the news himself.

Xavier Woods did put up a post on social media later, confirming that he was going to be staying with WWE for another term:

How do yall know this stuff? I didnt say anything! But yes. Youâ€re gonna see my sexy face for a while longer even though you dont deserve it. 22 years in the game and about to make the next bit even better than the rest.â€

You can check out his tweet below:

How do yall know this stuff? I didnt say anything! But yes. You’re gonna see my sexy face for a while longer even though you dont deserve it.

22 years in the game and about to make the next bit even better than the rest. @WWE#BodyGuy#FaceGuy#ThankGodForTheNewDay

— Austin Creed (@AustinCreedWins) October 7, 2025

Despite being an extremely talented member of the WWE roster, Xavier has yet to receive a major singles push, a fact that he himself has complained about. It remains to be seen if he will be part of a storyline involving one of the World Titles in the near future.

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Chris Como, in talking about the practice method of “a lot of people,” describes it as divided. Ninety minutes, for example, might be broken up into 30 minutes for chipping, 30 minutes for putting and 30 minutes for hitting balls.

Then there’s one of his former clients.

And what are Como’s thoughts on Tiger Woods’ practice approach?

“Really interesting.”

Talking on the latest episode of the “On the Mark Podcast,” the GOLF Top 100 teacher had been asked by host Mark Immelman whether he had a story on Woods’ work ethic, and the question was understandable, as Como worked as Woods’ coach from 2014 to 2017. The exchange can be found by clicking on the video below, and below that will be some additional thoughts.

What was Tiger Woods’ work ethic like?

To that question, Como talked glowingly.

“Even in a window where he was hurt, he would just do everything he could to fight through it,” he said on the podcast. “It was one of the more remarkable things I’ve ever seen just from a human level where I know the type of pain he was in and how injured he was and how kind of difficult the whole back situation was for him. And he just kept fighting. Like 99.9 percent of all the people in the world would probably just be like, ‘Look, I’m good. I’ve won 14 majors, made X amount of dollars. I’m good.’ And he just kind of kept at it.

“And then to win the Masters in 2019, that was just one of the more special moments in sports, I think. So, yeah, it was remarkable to be around him and just that no-quit kind of mindset. His work ethic was incredible. He fought through a lot of pain and kept at it.”

The takeaway: If you’re a Woods fan, this is part of what drew you to him.

But how did Tiger Woods work?

Not like “a lot of people,” Como said on the podcast. As you might expect from a 15-time major winner.

Away from tournaments, Woods would focus on one part of his game during practice, Como said. And only one part.

“One of the things I thought was really interesting,” he said, “the way he would practice, especially when it was away from a tournament, would be he would take a whole afternoon and just do short game or take a whole afternoon and just putt.

“So a lot of people subscribe to, ‘I’m going to do 30 minutes chipping, 30 minutes putting, 30 minutes hitting balls’ — whatever it is — and they break an X-amount-of-hour window with all the different facets of the game. He would do that when it came to tournament prep, but if he had a window off, he would spend a huge chunk with one part of the game.

“And it was almost like he was experimenting and learning, and having that big window gave him that ability to go deep into a subject, right, like hitting short game shots or whatever. And I thought that was really interesting that he was, at that time in his career, still, in a sense, learning things. That was an interesting sort of observation.”

If you are well-versed in the Book of Tiger, certain figures from his (nearly) 50 years on this earth are so familiar to you no surname or ID is required. Tida and Earl, of course. Stevie and Steiny; Butch, Hank. (For those late to the party: caddie, agent, swing coach, swing coach.) His kids, Sam and Charlie. I was on the scene for Tiger’s second U.S. Amateur title and 14 of his 15 wins in Grand Slam events. If “Jeopardy!” ever had a category called Tiger Times, I like my chances. So you can imagine my shock when I sat in a cart at the Ryder Cup last month and interviewed a man for two hours who has worked with (and on) Tiger Woods for 27 years and I had never heard of him in my life!

The man’s name was (and is) Dr. Tom LaFountain. He’s a chiropractor and the director of the PGA Tour’s chiropractic services. Our matchmaker was Johnny Wood, the caddie-turned-broadcaster who served as the U.S. team manager for the Ryder Cup at Bethpage, where LaFountain, who is 69 and white-haired, was in charge of all manual sports medicine for the U.S. team. “He’s probably worked on every great player of the past 30 years or so,” Johnny told me. By which he meant Arnold Palmer and Jack Nicklaus as senior golfers; Tiger Woods, Phil Mickelson, Jim Furyk and Davis Love in their long primes; Rory McIlroy, Keegan Bradley and scores of other Ryder Cup players through the years.

Tiger Woods got on the PGA Tour in 1996, by way of sponsor exemptions and his out-of-the-box superior play. Tom LaFountain, soft-spoken and country-strong (upstate New York), got on Tour the next year, by way of his work with all manner of athletes, most especially the legendary Olympic speedskaters Bonnie Blair and Dan Jansen. Manual sports medicinewas not a phrase in circulation then, and isn’t exactly coffee-shop ready now. But it is very much a real thing. When LaFountain and the dozens of trainers and chiropractors under him (many of them coming to Tour events on a freelance basis) get to know their patients through their hands. No gloves, ever.

Their exams go from toes to neck, by way of hand. LaFountain can encounter left-ankle tightness and ask, “Are you feeling something in the first foot of the backswing?” How’d you know?Chances are good that whatever the issue is, there’s an app for that. LaFountain and his people will do their thing, and leave the player with homework, too. The player wants the work because he wants to shoot lower scores and be pain-free doing it.

More than once, a touring pro has said to LaFountain, “You’ve got good hands.” It’s a favorite compliment. He finds issues with his hands and he finds fixes problems with his hands. Shaking hands with him is like shaking hands with Babe Ruth’s baseball glove. LaFountain, in the 1960s, was a Little League legend, for his homerun prowess, in greater Utica, N.Y., where he still lives half the year. He spends the other half at the Bear’s Club, a high-end housing development in South Florida with a Jack Nicklaus golf course. Nicklaus pronounces the chiropractors last name in the French way, La-fon-taine. LaFountain pronounces it the Utica way, as in water fountain.

When LaFountain got on Tour, players were still drinking Cokes at the turn in the name of back-nine energy boosts. It was a different day. “When I got out here, there was a fitness trailer with a Universal Gym in it,” LaFountain said. A Universal Gym is that gleaming chrome weight-lifting contraption with various cables that is the centerpiece of every high school football-and-wrestling training room. “Now we’re getting to where we will have three trailers at tournaments, one for therapy, one for fitness, one for recovery.”

Tom LaFountain is the director of the PGA Tour’s chiropractic services.

courtesy tom lafountain

The original trailer was a trailer, about what you’d see at a campsite. Now the trailers are 53-feet long and eight-feet wide when they’re on the road (racking up tens of thousands of miles a year, driven by professional drivers out of North Carolina). Once these monster trucks are at tournament sites, they expand like an accordion and triple in width. The Tour spends millions on this whole operation, and gets that money back and then some by way of sponsorship. When Woods turned pro, you associated the PGA Tour with Buick and other GM cars. Now you’re more like to associate it with the Mayo Clinic, official medical source for the PGA Tour. As LaFountain sees it, it is impossible to overstate the influence Woods has had in the transformation of the Tour player into an athlete in year-‘round training.

There’s only going to be more of that. As Tour fields become smaller, and professional golf finds itself awash in money and outside investors, the approach to player health is undergoing a radical change. The day of the golfer having his own health-and-wellness entourage at every tournament is all but over. “It’s interesting, because these players are individual contractors, but our approach now is more like what you see on an NFL team.” When a field has only 70 or 80 players in it, it’s in the PGA Tour’s interest to keep everybody healthy and performing at their highest level. Some will see this as evolution, an adaptation (to use a favorite phrase of corporate America) of “best practices.” Others as another knife in the former cowboy spirit of the pro golfer. Regardless, it’s where the game is, bending in the direction of science over art.

At the Ryder Cup, there was a trainer just for the caddies. At every Tour event, there’s a Tour-sanctioned nutritionist. You want fuel (aka food) advice, the Tour has an expert on hand with answers. And the actual food to go with it.

“Tiger nailed that, years ago — he was ahead of everybody,” LaFountain said. He described Tiger’s early-career Presidents Cup and Ryder Cup team rooms. LaFountain would see players going for a second dessert while Woods was eating grilled chicken and a boiled potato and calling it a night. Everybody saw it. Many changed their ways. Now diet is a way of Tour life. Exercise is a way of Your life. Deep-tissue massage, the same. Chiropractic adjustments, the same. Three-minute plunges in 50-degree water, the same. (“You do hear some f-bombs,” LaFountain said.) Compression therapy boots. Zero-gravity chairs. Stem-cell injections. Along the way, a sea-change in dialogue.

Player: Do I have to come in even if I don’t hurt?

Physio: Yes.

Player: Am I on a ball count?

Physio: Always.

Tiger Woods’s Ryder Cup absence begs question: When, if ever, will he return?

By:

Michael Bamberger

Player: Am I heading toward surgery?

Physio: Not if I can help it.

This month, Tiger Woods underwent back surgery for the seventh time. At the end of the year, he turns 50, which means that 2026 would be the first year where he is eligible for the Senior PGA Championship (at Concession Golf Club next year, the week after the Masters), the U.S. Senior Open (at Scioto Country Club in late June) and the Senior British Open (at Gleneagles in late July). Nobody is really talking about Tiger Woods the golfer these days. Well, not nobody. Tom LaFountain is.

“Tiger is so competitive, he has so much drive, he is willing to work so hard, you can be sure he’s going to do everything he possibly can to get himself ready for those events,” LaFountain said. “He is someone who is always looking for a new challenge.”

In early March of 2019, Tiger Woods was deeply focused on the upcoming Masters. He told LaFountain, “You’ve got 33 days here.” Thirty-three days to help Woods get his body exactly where it needed to be as he tried to win his fifth Masters. As everybody knows, Woods did. Afterward, Woods said, “Tom, thanks for helping make this happen.”

Tiger Woods has good hands. We all know that. Evidently, Tom LaFountain does, too. Who knew?

Michael Bamberger welcomes your comments at Michael.Bamberger@Golf.com

Tiger Woods had his seventh back surgery on Friday. A day later, the 15-time major champion said that he underwent a lumbar disc replacement and was already feeling the positive effects of the procedure.

“After experiencing pain and lack of mobility in my back, I consulted doctors and surgeons to have tests taken,” Woods said in a statement. “The scans determined that I had a collapsed disc in L4/L5, disc fragments and a compromised spinal canal. I opted to have my disc replaced yesterday and already know I made a good decision for my health and back.”

Woods didn’t compete on the PGA Tour this past season after undergoing surgery to repair a ruptured Achilles tendon in March. No timetable was provided for Woods’ potential return to competitive golf after his lumbar disc replacement, and several questions naturally come with Woods’ decision to have another back surgery.

Sports injury analyst and physical therapist Marty Jaramillo answered some of those questions about the procedure, the recovery and Woods’ potential return to competitive golf.

WATCH JARAMILLO’S EXPLAINER HERE:

What surgery did Tiger Woods have on his back, and why?

“Why did Tiger Woods opt for an artificial disc replacement?” Jaramillo said. “Let’s talk a little about the history and what led to that decision. Tiger suffered from multiple back injuries, multiple disc herniations, and all the subsequent surgeries to repair those disc herniations.

“He really suffered at the level of L5, S1, the lowest level, where in 2017 he opted for spinal fusion at that level, with the implant hardware on both sides to decompress the nerves, add stability and support, but there is a trade-off with the hardware. Yes, you get a decrease in pain, but you lose a little bit of mobility, specifically in rotation, sometimes up to 20 percent. It was extremely successful, and in 2019, Tiger won his fifth green jacket at the Masters.

“But like I said, the trade-off is fusion. Below it puts undue stress at the disc levels above. Now L4, L5 is in play and suffered a tremendous amount of stress and overload in subsequent years, and in 2021, he had yet his fourth microdiscectomy to help repair L4 right here now. Between the fourth microdiscectomy, then his horrific car accident and then this year with the Achilles and still trying to compete and play at a high level, that disc at L4, L5 essentially started to degenerate, develop bone spurs, start to compress the nerve endings yet again.

“Now, if he opted for a fusion which was successful, he would lose even more mobility and golf would not be even a question because he wouldn’t be able to compete and play at a high level. So, fast forward, we have this great new technology called an artificial disc. It is still hardware where they removed the old disk. And implant an artificial one. It still provides a tremendous amount of support, stability and decompresses the nerves. But the hardware does not limit motion and you need that rotation to swing a golf club at a very high level and compete at a high level. So in Tiger’s case he just didn’t have a choice and the procedure’s perfected, and he had that procedure performed this past Friday at the hospital for special surgery in New York.”

What will Tiger Woods’ recovery be?

“So for the next two weeks, Tiger will be under strict orders to do a lot of resting and strict limitations on movements like twisting and bending,” Jaramillo said. “But he’s also able to walk as much as he can tolerate. By weeks two to four, he’s implementing a very progressive lumbar stabilization program and some mobility, keeping in mind that the disc replacement surgery does have to heal. The hardware still has to fuse to the overlying and underlying bone, just like a fracture, and has to heal. But by week six to eight, he has progressed to aggressive strengthening in all planes of the golf swing and perfecting sports-specific motions.

Tiger Woods makes ‘good decision’ to have another back surgery, return is unclear

By:

Josh Schrock

“Now long term, well, any aging athlete has to have a strict regimen and be very disciplined with both maintenance and recovery of therapies. Tiger has been great at that over the years, just like LeBron, just like Tom Brady, but Tiger’s had so many surgeries, so he’s had to kinda keep resetting those recovery and maintenance protocols, but still disciplined, nevertheless. He also has to have load management. It has to be in full effect here. He’s gonna probably have to limit his total tournaments but also make smart decisions on both the climate and terrain of those tournaments.”

When will Tiger Woods be able to play competitive golf again?

While no timetable was given for Woods’ return to the PGA Tour, Jaramillo is optimistic that Woods can return soon, given how long it has been since his Achilles procedure and the expected healing time for the lumbar disc replacement.

“Tiger Woods has the potential to play in his own Hero World Challenge and the PNC Championship, both tournaments that take place in December,” Jaramillo said. “By December, he would have over eight months having recovered from his Achilles repair and close to six to eight weeks for his artificial disc replacement, both within good healing time frames, and be ready to go and also be competitive for both tournaments.”

Tiger Woods’ long-term health concern

To Jaramillo, it is not Tiger Woods’ back that is the biggest concern for prolonging his competitive career. It’s the ankle issues that have been prevalent since his car accident in 2021.

“I’m not so concerned about his back and this artificial disc,” he said. “I think it’s gonna do really great. He’s going to compete at a high level.

“My biggest concern for Tiger is his ankle following his horrific car accident,” Jaramillo said. “A couple of years after the accident, he had to have his ankle fused to help limit the pain and minimize the pain. But what does it do? With the fusion, just like in his lower back from 2017, it limits movement, and in his case, his ankle. He’s lost some rotation, which prevents him from adjusting to uneven terrains on the golf course, and it’s really plagued him. You’ve seen it in years past. Over the course of a four-day tournament he’s the limping gets worse and worse. So I really think it’s his ankle that’s gonna be the speed bump that curtails his career.”

Oct 12, 2025, 07:46 AM ET

Fifteen-time major champion Tiger Woods underwent surgery recently to replace a disc in his back. It’s the latest injury setback for Woods, who also underwent surgery in March after rupturing his left Achilles tendon while ramping up training and practice at home.

Here’s a look at some of the injuries Woods has had throughout his PGA Tour career.

Oct. 10, 2025: Back surgery
Woods underwent lumbar disc replacement surgery — his seventh back surgery. Woods said in a social media post that he had the surgery in New York and added it was the right decision for his health and his troubled back. He did not mention how long it would keep him out of golf. It was his second surgery of the year and his second back surgery in 13 months.

Woods said he consulted doctors and surgeons after experiencing pain and lack of mobility in his back. “The scans determined that I had a collapsed disc in L4/5, disc fragments and a compromised spinal canal,” Woods wrote in the post. “I opted to have my disc replaced yesterday, and I already know I made a good decision for my health and my back.”

March 11, 2025: Achilles tendon injury
Woods underwent surgery after rupturing his left Achilles tendon while ramping up training and practice at home, he announced in a statement on X. Woods, 49, said Dr. Charlton Stucken of the Hospital for Special Surgery in West Palm Beach, Florida, performed a “minimally invasive” Achilles tendon repair. “The surgery went smoothly, and we expect a full recovery,” Stucken said in a statement.

Sept. 13, 2024: Back surgery
Woods announced that he underwent surgery on his lower back. In a statement on his social media, the procedure was described as a microdecompression surgery of the lumbar spine for nerve impingement in the lower back. “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 said.

April 19, 2023: Ankle surgery
Woods underwent surgery to address post-traumatic arthritis in his right ankle that was caused by injuries suffered in a February 2021 car wreck. According to a statement posted to Woods’ Twitter account, Dr. Martin O’Malley at HSS Sports Medicine Institute in New York performed the subtalar fusion procedure to address arthritis caused by a previous talus fracture and “determined the surgery to be successful.”

“He’s resting now and will start the recovery process,” Mark Steinberg, Woods’ agent, told The Associated Press in a telephone interview at the time.

April 9, 2023: Withdraws from Masters
Woods withdrew prior to Sunday at the Masters — he would have needed to play 28½ holes due to weather suspensions. “I am disappointed to have to WD this morning due to reaggravating my plantar fasciitis.”

Tiger Woods withdrew before Sunday at the 2024 Masters. AP Photo/Matt Slocum

Feb. 23, 2021: Injuries from car crash
Woods was involved in a one-car crash in Southern California in which the vehicle rolled several times and left him trapped in the car. He later had surgery to deal with “open fractures” to his lower right leg, had a rod placed in a tibia and had screws and pins inserted in his foot and ankle during emergency surgery.

Woods was taken to Harbor-UCLA Medical Center by ambulance. Later that night, Dr. Anish Mahajan issued a statement in which he said Woods suffered “significant orthopedic injuries to his right lower extremity” and had emergency surgery for “open fractures affecting both the upper and lower portion of the tibia and fibula bones.” Mahajan said Woods’ leg was “stabilized by inserting a rod into the tibia and additional injuries to the bones of his foot and ankle were repaired with screws and pins. To relieve pressure from swelling, doctors also removed the covering of muscles.”

Dec. 23, 2021: Another back procedure
Woods underwent a fifth back procedure, his fourth microdiscectomy, meant to alleviate nerve pain in his lower back. The time frame for a return is typically 2½ to 3 months.

Aug. 20, 2019: Left knee surgery
Woods had an arthroscopic procedure on his left knee — the fifth time that knee had been operated on — and later said the knee hindered him throughout the summer and that he had put the procedure off. He said he would be ready in time for the Zozo Championship in Japan.

April 20, 2017: Back surgery
Woods announced he underwent successful back surgery to alleviate ongoing pain in his back and leg. “The surgery went well, and I’m optimistic this will relieve my back spasms and pain,” Woods said via his website. “When healed, I look forward to getting back to a normal life, playing with my kids, competing in professional golf and living without the pain I have been battling so long.”

Feb. 3, 2017: Back spasms

Woods withdrew before the second round of the Dubai Desert Classic, citing back spasms. Woods’ agent, Mark Steinberg, said at the time that the problem was not related to nerve issues that had plagued the 14-time major champion over the prior few years and resulted in three surgeries, the most recent in September 2015.

Oct. 28, 2015: Follow-up back procedure

About a month after his second back surgery in a year and a half, Woods announced that he had undergone a follow-up procedure to relieve discomfort in the area. The procedure was performed by Dr. Charles Rich, the same neurosurgeon who performed the previous two surgeries.

Sept. 16, 2015: Back surgery again
Back surgery again: Woods missed the cut in three of the four majors of 2015, but in August he posted his best finish of the year. That was his final start of the year, however, because Woods underwent a second microdiscectomy surgery in September. He said he hoped to return in “early 2016.”

April 1, 2014: Back surgery
Woods announced he would miss the Masters after undergoing a microdiscectomy for a pinched nerve, which had been hurting him for several months. Woods said he would return to golf “sometime this summer,” which he did in late June at the Quicken Loans National.

March 18, 2014: Back spasms
Woods announced he wouldn’t play the Arnold Palmer Invitational, citing lingering pain.

March 2, 2014: Back issues
Woods withdrew from the final round of the Honda Classic.

March 11, 2012: Injury to left Achilles tendon
Woods withdrew from the final round of the WGC-Cadillac Championship.

May 12, 2011: Knee, Achilles act up
Woods withdrew from the Players Championship with apparent injuries after nine holes (he shot 42). “The knee acted up, and then the Achilles followed after that, and then the calf started cramping up. Everything started getting tight,” he said. Woods didn’t play again until the WGC-Bridgestone Invitational in August 2011.

April 26, 2011: Left MCL sprain, strained left Achilles tendon
Woods announced he would miss the Wells Fargo Championship in North Carolina. During the third round of the Masters, he suffered a Grade 1 mild MCL sprain to his left knee and a mild strain to his left Achilles tendon while hitting a difficult and awkward second shot from the pine straw under the Eisenhower tree left of the fairway at No. 17. Woods was able to continue playing at Augusta and later decided to seek a medical evaluation.

2010: Apparent neck injury
Woods was forced to withdraw from the Players Championship during the final round with a neck injury. An MRI revealed that he had an inflamed facet joint in his neck.

2008-09: Torn right Achilles tendon
At the 2010 Masters, Woods revealed that he tore his right Achilles in 2008 and reinjured the tendon several times in 2009, yet continued to play.

2008: Arthroscopic knee surgery
Two days after finishing second at the 2008 Masters, Woods had arthroscopic knee surgery to clean out cartilage. He was expected to recover in four to six weeks, and he returned to action at the U.S. Open. The result? He won. Woods had reconstructive surgery on the damaged ACL and missed the remainder of the 2008 season. In addition to the ACL problem, Woods had a double stress fracture in his left tibia as a result of his preparation for the U.S. Open.

2007: Ruptured ACL
Woods ruptured the anterior cruciate ligament in his left knee while at home running after the 2007 British Open, but he decided against surgery. He went on to win five of his next six events.

It remains to be seen whether Tiger Woods will be able to take the course for the Hero World Championship or the PNC Championship with his son, Charlie, after he announced on Saturday that he underwent back surgery on Friday.

“The scans determined that I had a collapsed disc in L4/5, disc fragments and a compromised spinal canal,” Woods said in a social media post. “I opted to have my disc replaced yesterday, and I already know I made a good decisions for my health and my back.”

Doug Ferguson of the Associated Press reported it was the golfing legend’s seventh back surgery overall and second surgery of the year after he underwent surgery in March for a ruptured left Achilles tendon.

Woods, 49, hasn’t played professionally since the PNC Championship last year, and this year’s Hero World Championship and PNC Championship are both in December. That would be a quick turnaround after yet another back surgery, the first of which came in 2014.

He also underwent a lower-back fusion in 2017 and has played just 15 times in the last four years following a serious car crash in February 2021 that “shattered his right leg and ankle,” per Ferguson.

Four of those 15 events in the last four years came at the PNC Championship, where he is permitted to use a cart for the 36-hole tournament.

Woods is arguably the greatest golfer in the sport’s history with 15 major titles and 82 career PGA Tour wins. Only Jack Nicklaus (18) has won more majors, and Woods captured the attention of the entire sports world during his peak.

Injuries have largely prevented him from adding to his incredible resume of late, although his triumph at the 2019 Masters after his back fusion was one of the most memorable moments of his career.

Woods did not provide any specific details about a recovery timeline with his latest surgery announcement, although the procedure was considered a success.

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Tiger Woods has announced that he underwent back surgery on Friday to address a collapsed disc in his spine.

The 15-time major winner had lumbar disk replacement surgery after he experienced pain in his lower back and said on social media that the operation was deemed successful, although it is unknown when the 49-year-old will return to golf.

It is the second time the former world No 1 has undergone back surgery in just over a year, having had an operation on his lumbar spine in September 2024 to relieve a nerve impingement of his lower back.

A statement on Woods’ X account said: “After experiencing pain and lack of mobility in my back, I consulted with Doctors and Surgeons to have tests taken.

“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.

“On Friday, Tiger underwent lumbar disc replacement surgery in his L4/5 Lumbar spine for lower back symptoms.

“The surgery was deemed successful and performed by Dr Sheeraz Qureshi and his team at the Hospital for Special Surgery in New York.â€

It adds to a growing list of injuries that Woods has had to deal with after he ruptured his left achilles while training and practicing at home in March this year.

Woods has not featured since the Open Championship at Royal Troon in 2024 and planned to make a comeback for the Genesis Invitational earlier this year but pulled out due to the death of his mother the week before.

His only golfing appearances this year have been in the new TGL indoor competition.

Oct 11, 2025, 06:22 PM ET

Tiger Woods went through a seventh back surgery Friday, this time to replace a disk in his lower back that had caused pain and mobility issues.

Woods said in a social media post Saturday that he had the surgery in New York and added it was the right decision for his health and his troubled back.

He did not mention how long it would keep him out of golf, though it was unclear if he was trying to play in his Hero World Challenge in the Bahamas or the PNC Championship with his son, Charlie. Both tournaments are in December.

He hasn’t played since a playoff loss in the PNC Championship last year.

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It was his second surgery of the year — he had a procedure in March after rupturing his left Achilles tendon — and his second back surgery in the past 13 months.

Woods said he consulted doctors and surgeons after experiencing pain and lack of mobility in his back.

“The scans determined that I had a collapsed disc in L4/5, disc fragments and a compromised spinal canal,” Woods wrote in the post Saturday. “I opted to have my disc replaced yesterday, and I already know I made a good decision for my health and my back.”

Woods had the first of his seven back surgeries in April 2014, which eventually led to having his lower back fused in 2017. A year later, he won the Tour Championship and then captured his 15th major and fifth green jacket at the 2019 Masters.

He was in a car crash in February 2021 that shattered his right leg and ankle, which Woods has said nearly led to an amputation.

He returned a year later at the 2022 Masters.

Since the car crash, Woods has played only 15 times in the past four years, four of those at the PNC Championship, where he can use a cart for the 36-hole event.

Tiger Woods has gone through a seventh back surgery, this time to replace a disk in his lower back that had caused pain and mobility issues.

Woods said in a social media post he had the surgery in New York and said it was the right decision for his his health and his troubled back.

He did not mention how long it would keep him out of golf, though it was unclear if he was going to try to play in his Hero World Challenge in the Bahamas or the PNC Championship with his son, Charlie. Both tournaments are in December.

He hasn’t played since a playoff loss in the PNC Championship last year.

It was his second surgery of the year — he had surgery in March after rupturing his left Achilles tendon — and second back surgery in the last 13 months.

Woods said he consulted doctors and surgeons have experiencing pain and lack of mobility in his back.

“The scans determined that I had a collapsed disc in L4/5, disc fragments and a compromised spinal canal,†Woods said Saturday. “I opted to have my disc replaced yesterday, and I already know I made a good decisions for my health and my back.â€

Woods had the first of his seven back surgery in April 2014, which eventually led to having his lower back fused in 2017. A year later, he won the Tour Championship and then captured his 15th major and fifth green jacket at the 2019 Masters.

From his knee to his back to his Achilles, take a look at the various injuries in Tiger Woods’ career as well as his multiple returns to competition.

Now his back is only part of a body that has been broken over the last five years. Most serious was a car crash in February 2021 that shattered his right leg and ankle, which Woods has said nearly led to a decision to amputate.

He managed to return a year later at the 2022 Masters.

Since the car crash, Woods has played only 15 times in the last four years, four of those at the PNC Championship where he can use a cart for the 36-hole event.