Tiger Woods’ 2025 has been a perfect storm of setbacks, and we say that for a reason. After undergoing lower back surgery last year, Woods was expected to make his PGA Tour comeback at the 2024 Hero World Challenge.
However, his recovery took longer than expected, and the 82-time PGA Tour winner had to sit out the tournament that saw Scottie Scheffler secure back-to-back titles.
In 2025, Woods was again expected to make his season debut at the Genesis Invitational, which he hosts. But destiny had other plans.
On February 4th, the legend suffered a devastating personal loss when he lost his mother, Kultida Woods. This loss also caused the 15-time major winner to withdraw from the Genesis Invitational last month.
Interestingly, if not on the PGA Tour, Woods was finally seen teeing off alongside his TGL team, Jupiter Links GC, on February 18th.
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This provided fans hope that he would make his PGA Tour debut and later play in the Masters this year. But here again, a concerning injury has shocked Tiger’s fans. On Tuesday afternoon, the 8-time Arnold Palmer Invitation winner dropped a social media post saying:
“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.”
According to the Instagram post, Woods’ surgery was performed Tuesday morning by Dr. Charlton at the Hospital for Special Surgery in West Palm Beach, Florida. “The surgery went smoothly, and we expect a full recovery,” shared the doctor.
“I am back home now and plan to focus on my recovery and rehab. Thank you for all the support,” Tiger added.
But this wasn’t the first time that the 3-time U.S Open winner got injured. During a podcast interview with Like a Farmer, John Daly even highlighted how he thinks “working out hurts a lot of these guys,” and as you might know, along with injuries and golf greatness, Woods is known for his fitness.
Tiger Woods Injury Timeline, Detailed
December 1994
Tiger Woods’s journey with surgeries began way back in 1994, even before he kicked off his PGA Tour career. It was one of his biggest comeback victories in US Amateur Golf history when the 19-year-old Stanford golfer had to undergo his first surgery. The reason was a benign tumor on his left knee. Little did the young Tiger know that it was just the beginning of his long list of injuries.
December 2002
Woods won his first Major back in 1997, and by the end of 2002, he had already won eight Majors. But that specific year when Big Cat earned his third Masters title, joining Nicklaus (1965-66), bad luck struck again.
The PGA Tour winner had to undergo surgery to get rid of the cyst from his left knee and had fluid drained from around one of his ligaments. But Tiger, being Tiger, bounced back in style, defeating Carl Pettersson, carding 16-under par at the 2003 Buick Invitational.
September 2006
The year 2006 was one of the toughest for Woods as he lost his mentor, his father, Earl Woods. To make it worse, Woods went through another injury. This time, it was a muscle in his left shoulder blade. Surprisingly, despite all the pain, the 49-year-old scored a total of 261 to capture the WGC-American Express Championship title in October.
July 2007
In 2007, at the age of 31, Woods ruptured the ligament of his left knee while at home. But that year, he decided against surgery. Instead, he pushed through the pain and won five of his next six events. It also included a PGA Championship title, marking it as his 13th Major title. You see, there’s a reason he is called the GOAT of golf. But the injuries didn’t stop there.
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April, 2008
In 2008, the World No. 1 went through an arthroscopic knee surgery just days after snagging the second position at the Masters. But that’s not all. Just after six weeks, he sustained a double stress fracture in his left tibia while firing balls at the US Open, which he eventually won at the price of damaging his anterior cruciate ligament (ACL).
December 2008 and throughout 2009
Just months after a damaged ligament, the Woods revealed he torn his right Achilles. This was revealed by him at the 2010 Masters. Yet Woods continued to push through and played the next year.
May 2010
The torn Achilles was not the end of his injury setbacks.
In May 2010, Tiger Woods was forced to withdraw from the Players Championship due to a neck injury. This made it the 3rd time he was withdrawing from a TOUR event as a professional. After an MRI report, it was declared that the injury was an inflamed facet joint in his neck.
April 2011
2011 proved to be a tougher year for Woods. After losing his No. 1 rank, his wife, his reputation and three sponsors, the Big Cat had a Grade 1 mild MCL sprain to his left knee and a mild strain to his left Achilles tendon. This came while the 82-time PGA Tour winner was taking a swing on the 17th hole at Augusta National. As a result, Woods was again pushed to withdraw from an event, the Wells Fargo Championship.
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May 2011
The following month, Woods had to withdraw from the Players Championship at TPC Sawgrass. Why? The 35-year-old at that time struggled with a knee problem, Achilles issues, and calf cramps. “The knee acted up, and then the Achilles followed after that, and then the calf started cramping up. Everything started getting tight,” Woods revealed in an interview.
March 2012
Fast forward to 2012, Woods was forced to withdraw from the WGC – Cadillac Championship due to another ligament injury. This ultimately became the 6th withdrawal of his career. But this time, Tiger took the necessary time to recover.
March 2014
If we talk about the same month two years later, Woods’ back became a major issue. That year, he had to pull out of the Honda Open in the final round and later in the month announced he wouldn’t play the Arnold Palmer Invitational.
April 2014
April 2014 was a challenging time for Tiger Woods. The legend announced that he would miss the Masters due to a microdiscectomy for a pinched nerve. The injury had been plaguing him for several months, and Woods knew he needed to take care of it. He revealed that he would return to golf “sometime this summer.”
September, 2015
September 2015 marked another setback for Woods. Despite a 17th finish at the Masters earlier that year, Woods struggled to find his footing in the remaining three Majors. He missed the cut in all of them, including the PGA Championship in September, before he went for his second microdiscectomy surgery.
February 2017
After sitting out the entire 2016 season to recover from surgery, Woods returned to competition at the Hero World Challenge, where he finished 15th in a field of just 18 players.
However, his momentum was short-lived. Woods missed the cut at the Farmers Insurance Open at Torrey Pines, and things only got worse from there. He withdrew from the Dubai Desert Classic before the second round, citing back spasms as the reason.
Fortunately, Woods’ agent, Mark Steinberg, revealed that the issue wasn’t related to the nerve problems that had plagued Woods for years, resulting in three surgeries from 2015 to 2017.
Mike Ehrmann/Getty Images
April 2017
At 42 years old, Tiger again underwent surgery to fight back the pain in his back and leg. “The surgery went well,” Woods announced. “I’m optimistic this will relieve my back spasms and pain.”
He continued sharing in that message how he looked forward to recovering and resuming his normal life, which included spending time with his kids and competing in professional golf. All without the burden of chronic pain that had been holding him back for so long. But was the golfing legend injury-free after that? In short, no.
March 2019
In March 2019, Tiger Woods made the cautious decision to pull out of the Arnold Palmer Invitational. He had been dealing with a neck strain for a couple of weeks, but fortunately, it wasn’t considered serious. Woods simply wanted to prioritize his health and stay fresh for the upcoming Players Championship.
August 2019
After earning his 15th major win at the Masters in April 2019, Tiger Woods’ summer was marred by injuries and setbacks. In August, he withdrew from the Northern Trust due to a “mild oblique strain” that caused pain and stiffness. This injury came just a month after Woods’ disappointing performance at The Open in Royal Portrush, where he missed the cut.
December 2021
In December 2021, Tiger underwent another microdiscectomy surgery to alleviate nerve pain in his lower back. The procedure removed a bone fragment that was pinching a nerve, causing discomfort after the PNC Championship. According to Woods’ friend, Notah Begay, the surgery took place two days before Christmas.
February 2021
February 2021 was one of the most terrifying days in Tiger Woods’s life, as the legend had a devastating car accident in Los Angles. The vehicle rolled multiple times, leaving Woods trapped inside. He suffered severe injuries, including compound fractures to his right leg and a shattered ankle.
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Woods was rushed to Harbor-UCLA Medical Center, where he underwent emergency surgery. According to Dr. Anish Mahajan, Woods suffered “significant orthopedic injuries to his right lower extremity.” The surgery aimed to address “open fractures affecting both the upper and lower portion of the tibia and fibula bones.”
During the procedure, doctors inserted a rod into Woods’ tibia to stabilize his leg. Additionally, they used screws and pins to repair injuries to the bones in his foot.
April 2023
During this time, Tiger Woods faced another setback in his recovery journey. Prior to the final round of the Masters, Woods withdrew due to a flare-up of his plantar fasciitis. He had been performing well, equaling the record of 23 consecutive cuts made at Augusta National.
However, his master’s journey came to an abrupt end. As Woods explained, “I am disappointed to have to WD this morning due to reaggravating my plantar fasciitis.”
I am disappointed to have to WD this morning due to reaggravating my plantar fasciitis. Thank you to the fans and to @TheMasters who have shown me so much love and support. Good luck to the players today!
— Tiger Woods (@TigerWoods) April 9, 2023
Just two weeks later, it was revealed that Woods had undergone ankle surgery.
September 2024
On September 13, 2024, Tiger Woods revealed that he had undergone microdecompression surgery of the lumbar spine, aimed to address nerve impingement in his lower back.
Woods shared the news on his social media, expressing optimism about the outcome. “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,” he shared.
Now the latest injury news on Tuesday has raised concerns about the 15-time Major winner’s health. How do you think it will affect the PGA Tour? Will we see Woods again? Let us know in the comments below.
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