Tiger Woods’ close friend shed light on the golf legend’s plans before retirement as he continues his recovery from lumbar disc replacement surgery
Tiger Woods is yet to return to action(Image: Getty Images)
A close associate of Tiger Woods has revealed details about the golf icon’s retirement plans after acknowledging that “he’s not in denial.”
This past Friday, Woods revealed that he had undergone lumbar disc replacement surgery on his spine. He was already out for the complete 2025 season while healing from a torn Achilles he sustained during training last March.
While Woods has accomplished tremendous success on the PGA Tour, supporters have encouraged him to step away from the game following yet another serious injury. According to one of Woods’ intimate friends, the 49-year-old is fully conscious that his illustrious career is nearing its end sooner than later. It comes after the golf legend was told the brutal truth about an injury return.
READ MORE: Rory McIlroy receives no sympathy from childhood hero Roy Keane after Ryder Cup abuseREAD MORE: Rory McIlroy came up with bold DP World Tour plan just before going to bed
“He’s not stupid,” the source told the Daily Mail. “He knows things are winding down, and he’s coming to terms with it. He’s turning 50 this year.”
Instead of putting away the clubs immediately, though, Woods is reportedly planning one final comeback that would enable him to leave golf on his own conditions.
“He won’t retire but he’s slowing down,” the source revealed. “He wants to do at least one more major and to perform well in it. He wants to end the career with a bang, not a whimper. But right now, we’ll have to see.”
As Woods understands, the path to recovery will not be simple. His most recent operation on his L4-L5 vertebrae represented his seventh back surgery and third time undergoing the procedure in the past two years.
“He’s not in denial, but he wants to push himself until there’s nothing more he can do,” said a friend of Woods. “It depends on his recovery if he’s there yet or not. Seems pretty likely that he is.”
Last week, Woods took to social media to confirm that the procedure – carried out by Dr. Sheeraz Qureshi and his team at the Hospital for Special Surgery in New York – was the best choice for his health.
Tiger Woods remains sidelined through injury(Image: Getty Images)
“After experiencing pain and lack of mobility in my back, I consulted with Doctors and Surgeons to have tests taken,” Woods stated officially. “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.”
While Woods seems determined to return to the golf course, golf journalist Dan Rapaport expressed skepticism about his ability to do so.
“Let’s zoom out a little bit and look at what Tiger Woods has done, or more accurately, what he hasn’t done since the accident,” Rapaport commented, referring to Woods’ severe car crash in 2021, where he suffered a shattered right leg and ankle and had to be extracted from the wreckage using the jaws of life.
“He missed the cut in the last three majors in 2024. He has 10 starts total since the accident. His best finish in those starts is a tied for 45th at the Genesis Invitational in 2023.
“This feels like the end. And I know what you’re thinking, it’s been the end. I’m just telling you how I feel. This one hit me at the end. I feel like his body is breaking down.”
PALM BEACH GARDENS, FLORIDA – FEBRUARY 18: Tiger Woods of Jupiter Links Golf Club looks on while warming up before their TGL presented by SoFi match against New York Golf Club at SoFi Center on February 18, 2025 in Palm Beach Gardens, Florida. (Photo by Megan Briggs/TGL/TGL via Getty Images)(Image: Getty Images)
