Golf: Tiger Woods undergoes lumbar disc replacement, recovery timeline unclear

Tiger Woods has undergone lower-back disc replacement surgery to address pain and mobility loss. Photo / Getty Images

Tiger Woods underwent lumbar disc replacement surgery in his lower back after experiencing pain and a lack of mobility, the 15-time major golf champion announced.

The American great said he had the successful operation in New York on Friday (local time) at the hands of Dr Sheeraz Qureshi.

“After experiencing pain and lack of mobility in my back, I consulted with doctors and surgeons to have tests taken,” Woods said in a statement the next day.

“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.”

There was no timetable given for when Woods might return to competitive golf after the latest in a series of operations and injuries that have kept him inactive since last year’s British Open.

He suffered severe leg injuries in a 2021 car crash but returned at the 2022 Masters and finished 47th.

Woods, who turns 50 in December, had a back operation last September. He was rehabilitating from that setback when he announced last March that he had suffered a ruptured Achilles tendon.

There were available spots in his Hero World Challenge when most of the field was announced last week, but the latest announcement ends any thought Woods might play in the Bahamas event.

He has won 82 PGA Tour titles, matching Sam Snead for the all-time record, and ranks second on the all-time major win list, three off the record 18 won by another American, Jack Nicklaus.

The surgery also brings into question if Woods will play for his Jupiter Links team in the TGL tech-golf league when its season begins in January.

– Agence France-Presse