Tiger Woods had another surgery on his lower back — his sixth in the past 10 years — on Friday morning. This one he hopes will relieve some of the spasms he experienced this year.
In a brief statement on social media, Woods described it as surgery of the lumbar spine for nerve impingement on the lower back.
That is also referred to as a microdiscectomy, and the recovery time can be anywhere from eight to 12 weeks. Woods was not scheduled to play again until the Hero World Challenge in the Bahamas on Dec. 5-8, and the PNC Championship with his son, Charlie, on Dec. 21-22 in Orlando, Florida.
“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.
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Woods played only five tournaments this year — the four majors and the Genesis Invitational at Riviera in February, where he is the tournament host. He lasted only 24 holes at Riviera because of illness.
That was the only tournament he specifically mentioned back spasms, and that was while explaining a shank he hit on the 18th hole of the opening round. He said he had been dealing with spasms, “not during competition, but at home.”
Asked the cause of the spams he said curtly, “Because my back is fused.”
Woods had his first microdiscectomy in April 2014, two more the following year, and then had his lower back fused in 2017. He had another microdiscectomy surgery in December 2020 to remove a pressurized disc fragment.
Two months later, he crashed his speeding SUV in Los Angeles and shattered bones in his right leg and ankle, leading to another level of injuries he has coped with while trying to play a limited schedule.
His manager at Excel Sports, Mark Steinberg, was traveling on Friday and not immediately available to comment further.
“I look forward to tackling this rehab and preparing myself to get back to normal life activities, including golf,” Woods said in his statement.
He made the cut in only one tournament this year, at the Masters, where he set a record by making his 24th consecutive cut at Augusta National. This year was the first time he played all four majors since 2019, the year he won the Masters for his 15th career major.
Reporting by The Associated Press.
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