6 weeks after the latest surgery back surgeryTiger Woods was able to make the long trip to the Bahamas to host the annual tournament, the Hero World Challenge. The big question on everyone’s mind was how Woods’ rehabilitation was progressing, and the 15-time major winner addressed the topic in an interview with the media on Tuesday — his first public appearance since his recent surgery.
Woods detailed the “slow” recovery process from the disc replacement. After joking that he plans to play 25 events on both the PGA Tour and PGA Champions Tour next year, he provided a more sober update than many expected. Tiger said he has no timetable for returning to the course because he is still unable to take a full swing with a club.
“I’m probably going to play 25 events on both tours, which should cover most of the year, right?” Woods said with a laugh. “No, I’m just looking forward to it — let me get back to playing again. Let me do that. Then I’ll figure out what the schedule is going to be. I’m far from that part and those kinds of decisions and that kind of commitment level. Unfortunately, I’ve been through this rehab process before in stages, and then once I get a feel for the recovery process of practicing, blowing up, playing, and then I can evaluate where and how much to play.” ”
“I just got cleared to chip and putt last week,” Woods added. “So, it’s been good. It’s been six weeks since last Friday. So it’s been slow. We can’t do much with the disc replacement. We have to wait for it to harden. We can’t really do much. Now we’ve gotten the OK to start cranking it up in the gym and start strengthening and start doing a little bit more of the rotational component that we weren’t able to do to let the disc harden up a little bit.”
It would be pretty shocking to see Woods play competitively in the near future. He won’t be able to compete in the PNC Championship this year with his son Charlie, and will miss at least the start of the TGL season.
Not only was Tiger coming back from hip surgery, he was also working his way back from injury. I suffered a torn Achilles tendon in March.. At age 50, even the best athletes like Woods need to take a more conservative approach to rehabilitation and can’t rush a quick return. Tiger acknowledged as much on Tuesday, noting that the process is not moving “as quickly as I would like.”
Whether Woods plays in the Masters will always say the most about where he stands physically. The five-time Green Jacket winner does his best to play in his first major every April, but the physical demands of Augusta National mean he has to believe he’s fit enough to not only play, but walk. and He recovers after 72 holes.
The Masters is six months removed from his latest back surgery, which could give us an idea of whether we’ll see Woods play during the 2025 PGA Tour season. In the meantime, he has no plans to schedule anything and seems to understand the importance of getting his back back to full strength before trying to get back on track.
