15-time major champion Tiger Woods recently underwent surgery to replace a disc in his back. This is the latest injury setback for Woods, who also tore his left Achilles tendon while ramping up training and practice at home and underwent surgery in March.
Here’s a look at some of the injuries Woods sustained throughout his PGA Tour career.
October 10, 2025: Back surgery
Woods underwent lumbar disc replacement surgery, his seventh lower back surgery. Woods said in a social media post that he underwent the surgery in New York, adding that it was the right decision given his health and his troubled lower back. He did not say how long he would be away from golf. It was his second surgery of the year and second hip surgery in 13 months.
Woods said he consulted doctors and surgeons because he experienced pain and lack of mobility in his back. “Scans revealed a collapsed disc at L4/5, disc fragmentation, and damage to the spinal canal,” Woods wrote in the post. “Yesterday I decided to have my disc replaced. I already know I made a good decision for my health and my back.”
March 11, 2025: Achilles tendon injury
Woods underwent surgery after tearing his left Achilles tendon while ramping up his training and practice at home, the 49-year-old announced in a statement on “The surgery went well and we are hopeful for a full recovery,” Stacken said in a statement.
September 13, 2024: Back surgery
Woods announced that he had undergone hip surgery. In his social media statement, the surgery was described as a lumbar micro-decompression surgery for nerve compromise in the lumbar region. “The surgery went well and I am hopeful that it will alleviate the back spasm and pain I have been experiencing throughout most of the 2024 season,” Woods said.
April 19, 2023: Ankle surgery
Woods underwent surgery to address post-traumatic arthritis in his right ankle caused by injuries sustained in a February 2021 car accident. Dr. Martin O’Malley of the HSS Sports Medicine Institute in New York performed subtalar fusion surgery to address arthritis caused by a previous talar fracture and “determined the surgery to be successful,” according to a statement posted on Woods’ Twitter account.
“He is currently resting and will begin the recovery process,” Woods’ agent Mark Steinberg told The Associated Press in a phone interview at the time.
April 9, 2023: Withdrawal from Masters
Woods withdrew before Sunday’s Masters, but was supposed to play 28 and a half holes due to weather interruptions. “Unfortunately, I had to go for a walk this morning because my plantar fasciitis flared up again.”
February 23, 2021: Car Accident Injuries
Woods was involved in a single-car crash in Southern California, where his car rolled over several times and he was trapped inside. He then underwent emergency surgery for an “open fracture” in his lower right leg, with a rod inserted into his tibia and screws and pins inserted into his foot and ankle.
Woods was taken by ambulance to Harbor-UCLA Medical Center. Later that night, Dr. Anish Mahajan issued a statement saying that Woods suffered “significant orthopedic injuries to his right lower extremity” and underwent emergency surgery for “an open fracture affecting both the upper and lower portions of the tibia and fibula.” Mahajan said Woods’ leg was “stabilized by inserting a rod into the tibia, and additional damage to the bones of the foot and ankle was repaired with screws and pins. Doctors also removed muscle coverings to relieve pressure from swelling.”
December 23, 2021: Another secret procedure
Woods underwent his fifth lower back surgery and fourth microdiscectomy to alleviate nerve pain in his lower back. Return times are typically 2.5 to 3 months.
August 20, 2019: Left knee surgery
Woods had arthroscopic surgery on his left knee, his fifth surgery on that knee, but he later said he postponed the surgery because his knee had been bothering him all summer. He said he expects to be in time for the ZOZO Championship in Japan.
April 20, 2017: Back surgery
Woods announced that he underwent successful back surgery to alleviate residual pain in his back and legs. “The surgery went well and I am optimistic that it will reduce the spasm and pain in my back,” Woods said via his website. “Once I heal, I look forward to getting back to my normal life, playing with my kids, playing professional golf, and finding relief from the pain I have been dealing with for so long.”
February 3, 2017: Back Spasms
Woods withdrew from the Dubai Desert Classic before the second round due to back spasms. Woods’ agent, Mark Steinberg, said at the time that the problem was not related to the neurological problems that have plagued the 14-time major champion over the past few years and led to three surgeries, most recently in September 2015.
October 28, 2015: Follow-up back procedure
About a month after his second hip surgery in a year and a half, Woods announced that he had undergone another surgery to alleviate discomfort in the area. The surgery was performed by Dr. Charles Rich, the same neurosurgeon who performed the two previous surgeries.
September 16, 2015: Back surgery again.
Back surgery again: Woods missed three of the four majors in 2015, but posted his best performance of the year in August. However, this was Woods’ last start of the year as he underwent a second microdiscectomy in September. He said he hopes to return “in early 2016.”
April 1, 2014: Back surgery
Woods announced he would miss the Masters after undergoing a microdiscectomy due to a pinched nerve that had been causing him pain for several months. Woods said he would return to golf “sometime this summer,” making his return at the Quicken Loans National in late June.
March 18, 2014: Back Spasms
Woods announced that he would not compete in the Arnold Palmer Invitational due to persistent pain.
March 2, 2014: Back issue
Woods withdrew from the final round of the Honda Classic.
March 11, 2012: Left Achilles tendon injury
Woods withdrew from the final round of the WGC-Cadillac Championship.
May 12, 2011: Knee, Achilles tendon pain
Woods withdrew from the Players Championship with an apparent injury after nine holes (42 shots). “My knee started to feel bad, my Achilles tendon followed suit, and my calf started cramping up. Everything started getting tighter,” he said. Woods did not play again until the WGC-Bridgestone Invitational in August 2011.
April 26, 2011: Left MCL sprain, left Achilles tendon tear
Woods announced that he will withdraw from the Wells Fargo Championship in North Carolina. During the third round of the Masters, he suffered a grade 1 mild MCL sprain in his left knee and a minor contusion in his left Achilles tendon when he hit a difficult and awkward second shot from the pine straw under the Eisenhower tree on the left side of the fairway on the 17th hole. Woods was able to continue playing at Augusta, but later decided to seek medical attention.
2010: Obvious neck injury
Woods was forced to withdraw from The Players Championship due to a neck injury during the final round. An MRI scan revealed that the facet joints in his neck were inflamed.
2008-09: Right Achilles tendon rupture
At the 2010 Masters, Woods revealed that he tore his right Achilles tendon in 2008 and reinjured the tendon several times in 2009, but continued to play despite that.
2008: Arthroscopic knee surgery
Two days after finishing second at the 2008 Masters, Woods underwent arthroscopic knee surgery to remove cartilage. He is expected to recover in four to six weeks and made a comeback at the US Open. result? he won. Woods underwent reconstructive surgery on a torn ACL and missed the remainder of the 2008 season. In addition to the ACL issue, Woods suffered a double stress fracture in his left tibia as a result of his preparation for the U.S. Open.
2007: ACL tear
Woods tore the anterior cruciate ligament in his left knee while running home after the 2007 British Open, but decided against surgery. He went on to win five of the next six events.
