Tiger Woods underwent surgery on Wednesday to remove a small disk fragment that was pinching a nerve in his lower back, forcing him to withdraw from all remaining tournaments in 2015. Woods previously had the same surgery performed in March of 2014, and only recently developed pain again. The 14-major winner chose to have the surgery as soon as possible, rather than wait until the year was over in hopes he can return for the start of the 2016 PGA season. Woods’ surgeon was Charles Rich, the same doctor who operated on him back in 2014.
Woods has struggled in recent years and failed to make five cuts this year, resulting in a current world ranking of #283. Nevertheless he’s still a big draw for any tournament, and the three tournaments he’s committed to for the remainder of the year will likely miss his celebrity. Woods will still appear at the Hero World Challenge in Albany, Bermuda, an event that is hosted by his charity.
It remains to be seen if Tiger can ever regain the success he had for the first decade of the 2000’s, but having persistent back pain and rehabilitation for surgery certainly doesn’t bode well for the former world #1. For now, he’ll have to toss away the remainder of 2015’s season and hope for a fresh start in 2016.
(Via Tigerwoods.com)
