Tiger Woods announced Friday that he underwent a successful microdecrompression surgery in his lower back to alleviate spasms which hindered him in 2024. This marks Woods' sixth back procedure and his first since early 2021 when he had a microdisectomy to remove a pressurized disc fragment that caused nerve pain.
"Earlier this morning Tiger underwent microdecompression surgery of the lumbar spine for never impingement in the lower back," Woods released in a statement. "Dr. Sheeraz Qureshi of Hospital of Special Surgery in West Palm Beach performed the surgery and deemed it to be successful.
"The surgery went smoothly, and I'm hopeful this will help alleviate the back spasms and pain I was experiencing throughout most of the 2024 season," Woods said. "I look forward to tackling this rehab and preparing myself to get back to normal life activities, including golf."
Woods played in just five sanctioned tournaments in 2024; he only saw the weekend once. After getting off to a solid start in his season debut at the Genesis Invitational, the 48-year-old withdrew from the tournament due to illness during his second round. He was not seen again until the Masters where he made the cut for a record 24th consecutive time but ultimately finished last.
The 15-time major champion went on to tee it up in the final three majors of the season, but once again was unable to muster together any momentum and was an early exit in each. His last top-20 finish on the PGA Tour came at the 2020 Farmers Insurance Open just two starts after securing his 82nd career victory at the Zozo Championship that prior fall.
Health issues have continually plagued Woods ever since February 2021 when he was involved in a single-car accident and suffered significant injuries to his lower body. Most recently, Woods had a subtalar fusion procedure on his ankle following his withdrawal from the 2023 Masters to "address his post-traumatic arthritis from his previous talus fracture."
Woods' timeline for return was not part of the announcement, but he did leave The Open at Royal Troon intending to play both the PNC Challenge with his son Charlie and the Hero World Challenge that he hosts in the Bahamas this December.