Tiger Woods, according to a brief statement posted to his social media channels, underwent surgery Tuesday morning after rupturing his left Achilles, and his return to golf is unclear.
According to the statement, the 15-time major winner felt a pain in the tendon after training and practicing at home. Woods has not played since last July’s Open Championship after undergoing a back procedure last September, though he’s played in four matches this year in TGL, the two-month-old simulator-based league he co-founded.
Below is the complete statement:
“As I began to ramp up my own training and practice at home, I felt a sharp pain in my left Achilles, which was deemed to be ruptured.
“This morning, Dr. Charlton Stucken of Hospital for Special Surgery in West Palm Beach, Florida performed a minimally invasive Achilles tendon repair for a ruptured tendon. ‘The surgery went smoothly, and we expect a full recovery,’ added Dr. Stucken.
“I am back home now and plan to focus on my recovery and rehab. Thank you for all the support.”
Among the questions now is a potential return, which had already been clouded by the back surgery. In looking at other pros, Bernhard Langer tore his left Achilles while playing pickleball in February of 2024, then returned to play three months later on the 50-and-over PGA Tour Champions circuit.
Langer told the Champions tour he was encouraged by New York Jets quarterback Aaron Rodgers, who underwent surgery for a torn Achilles in September of 2023, and was throwing footballs again three months later. Langer opted for the same “SpeedBridge” procedure as Rodgers, which is touted as allowing for immediate weight-bearing and range of motion, thereby enabling a faster track to full recovery.
“That lifted my spirits, hearing he was back on the field throwing the ball after eight or nine weeks,” Langer told the Champions tour. “That encouraged me that I may do something similar.”
Woods’ surgery, though, continues a string of recent ailments for him. The September surgery was believed to be the sixth on his back, and Woods said last year that he hoped the latest — a minimally invasive procedure to remove a herniated disc and the associated pressure on the nerves — would alleviate the back spasms and pain he was experiencing throughout much of the 2024 season. He has also had surgeries performed on his right leg after a car crash in 2021.
There had been a thought that he would play late last year in the Hero World Challenge, an event he hosts, but he did not enter. Two weeks later, he played with son Charlie in the PNC Championship, a scramble event that pairs major winners with a relative, and Team Woods lost in a playoff to, notably, Langer and his son, Jason.
This year, Woods has played in four matches in TGL, but, following the announcement of the death of his mother, Tida, on Feb. 4, he had said he was unsure when he would play in a PGA Tour event. On Feb. 7, it was announced he had entered to play in the Genesis Invitational, another event he hosts, but he withdrew three days later.
Last Tuesday, after his final TGL match of the season, Woods said he wasn’t readying for a return to the PGA Tour, which this week is holding the Players Championship, one of its marquee tournaments, and an event Woods has won twice.
“This is the third time I’ve touched a club since my mom passed, so I haven’t really gotten into it,” Woods said last Tuesday. “My heart is not really into practicing right now. I’ve had so many other things to do with the Tour and trying to do other things.
“Once I start probably feeling a little bit better and start getting into it, I’ll start looking at the schedule.”
In looking at the major championships, the Masters starts April 10; the PGA Championship starts May 15; the U.S. Open starts June 12; and the Open Championship starts July 17.
