Tiger Woods Has Disk Replaced

Tiger Woods has gone through a seventh back surgery, this time to replace a disk in his lower back and had caused pain and mobility issues. Woods said in a social media post that he had the surgery in New York and that it was the right decision for his health and his troubled back, the AP reports. He did not mention how long it would keep him out of golf, though it was unclear if he's going to try to play in his Hero World Challenge in the Bahamas or the PNC Championship with his son, Charlie. Both tournaments are in December.

Woods hasn't played since a playoff loss in the PNC Championship last year. It was his second surgery of the year—he had surgery in March after rupturing his left Achilles tendon—and second back surgery in the past 13 months. "The scans determined that I had a collapsed disc in L4/5, disc fragments and a compromised spinal canal," Woods said Saturday. "I opted to have my disc replaced yesterday." His first back surgery in April 2014, which eventually led to having his lower back fused in 2017. A year later, he won the Tour Championship and then captured his 15th major and fifth green jacket at the 2019 Masters.

In February 2021, Woods' right leg and ankle were shattered in a car crash, which he has said nearly led to a decision to amputate. He managed to return a year later at the 2022 Masters. Since the crash, Woods has played only 15 times, four of those at the PNC Championship where he can use a cart for the 36-hole event.