Tiger Woods has surgery for ruptured Achilles tendon
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Tiger Woods speaking at the Genesis Invitational golf tournament at Torrey Pines.
PHOTO: REUTERS
LOS ANGELES – Tiger Woods revealed on March 11 that he had undergone surgery to repair a ruptured left Achilles tendon, derailing the veteran golfer’s comeback plans in the latest injury setback to rock the twilight of his glittering career.
“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,” the 15-time Major champion said in a post on X.
“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.”
Woods added a comment from Dr Stucken, who said the procedure “went smoothly and we expect a full recovery”.
“I am back home now and plan to focus on my recovery and rehab, thank you for all the support,” he said.
The American gave no timetable for his possible return from the operation.
The recovery time from an Achilles rupture can often last several months, which would almost certainly rule Woods out from playing in any of this season’s Majors if his injury follows the same timeframe.
He has not teed it up at an official tournament since the British Open in July 2024.
After another back surgery in September 2024, he did play alongside his son Charlie in the PNC Championship family event in Florida in December.
The 49-year-old, still hampered by serious leg injuries he suffered in a 2021 car crash, has also played in the TGL indoor simulator league he launched with Northern Ireland star Rory McIlroy in 2025.
Woods had committed to play at the Genesis Invitational in February but withdrew because he was “just not ready”, days after the death of his mother, Kultida.
He is also a notable absentee from this week’s Players Championship.
His latest setback comes less than a month before the first Major of the year, the Masters at Augusta National. He finished 60th at the Masters in 2024 and missed the cut in the year’s other three Majors.
Despite the litany of injury problems that have dogged him in recent years, Woods has repeatedly spoken of his desire to continue playing golf at the highest level, albeit with a scaled-back tournament schedule.
“The fire still burns to compete. I still love doing it, I love competing,” he said previously.
“The difference is the recovery of the body to do it is not what it used to be.
“That’s part of age and part of an athlete’s journey.” AFP
