Multiple major champion Tiger Woods faces yet another challenge in his quest to return to the golf course after undergoing more surgery.
The golfer, now 49 years old, announced on 11 October 2025 he had a disc replaced in his lower back after experiencing some pain and discomfort.
Woods said the procedure, performed by Dr. Shareez Qureshi at the Hospital for Special Surgery in New York, was deemed a success.
As expected and what has sadly become something of a routine, the 82-time PGA Tour winner chose not to outline any timeline for returning to competitive golf.
At the beginning of the year, Woods harboured aspirations to play in all four major championships plus a few more PGA Tour events, including the parent/child hit-and-giggle with his teenage son Charlie.
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He was in the field for the Genesis Invitational, a tournament he hosts annually, but withdrew following the death of his mother Kultida.
Tiger Woods
Then, in March, he ruptured his left achilles as he was ramping up his practice sessions ahead of The Masters. It forced him to miss the US Open, Open and PGA Championship.
Sadly for Woods, it was the last year he was exempt into the US Open. Going forward, he will need to receive a special invitation from the USGA, qualify by virtue of his world ranking or come through final qualifying.
It doesn’t seem likely that Woods would want to accept such an invitation or feel capable of playing a brutal 36-hole qualifier. He is also now ranked 2048th in the OWGR.
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The achilles injury was particularly upsetting for Woods, given he had only recently returned to action following another surgery on his back in September 2024.
Woods had micro decompression surgery of the lumbar spine for nerve impingement in the lower back.
Tiger Woods schedule
When is Tiger Woods likely to play next?
Woods is now likely to miss December’s Hero World Challenge and the PNC Championship.
TGL, the indoor league he co-founded with Rory McIlroy, is scheduled to return on 28 December.
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His team, Jupiter Links GC, are not in action until 14 January when they clash with New York.
Woods turns 50 in December, so there is every chance that if he does want to return to the course then the PGA Tour Champions could provide a soft landing spot.
Tiger Woods results since 2021 car crash
Year
Tournament
Result
2022
Masters Tournament
T47
2022
PGA Championship
WD
2022
The Open Championship
CUT
2023
Genesis Invitational
T45
2023
Masters Tournament
WD
2023
Hero World Challenge
18th
2024
Masters Tournament
47th
2024
PGA Championship
CUT
2024
U.S. Open
CUT
2024
The Open Championship
CUT
2024
PNC Championship
Runner-up
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