Tiger Woods has sparked concerns for his health with his latest announcement about his playing plans.
Woods’ Sad Announcement
Woods, 48, announced on Monday that he will not be competing in the Dec. 5-8 Hero World Challenge in Albany, Bahamas. Though he had not been listed in the initial player field last month, it was widely speculated that Woods would take one of three exemption spots for the competition.
This is an unofficial event in which 20 of the world’s top golfers compete. Woods played the event last year and finished in 18th place.
Woods hasn’t competed since July, when he missed the cut at the British Open. There, Woods made a point of saying that he was looking forward to playing the Hero World Challenge event in the Bahamas in December. While Woods will still be going to the event, however, it will now only be as a spectator.
“I am disappointed that I will not be able to compete this year at the Hero World Challenge, but always look forward to being tournament host and spending the week with @HeroMotoCorp,” Woods wrote on X, the social media platform formerly known as Twitter.
The three exemption spots ultimately went to two-time major winner Justin Thomas, 2015 PGA Championship winner Jason Day and 20-year-old Nick Dunlap. Woods congratulated all three of them in his post.
“Excited to welcome our exemptions @JustinThomas34, @JDayGolf and @NickDunlap62 into the field,” he added.
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Woods’ Difficult Year
Woods played just five tournaments this year. He finished 60th in the Masters and missed the cut in the other three major tournaments that he played.
In September, two months after the last event that he played, Woods underwent microdecompression surgery for nerve impingement on his lower back. Despite this, Woods appeared to be optimistic that he would return to playing soon.
“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 at the time. “I look forward to tackling this rehab and preparing myself to get back to normal life activities, including golf.”
Woods has struggled with back pain in recent years.
“I’m always going to feel soreness and stiffness in my back,” Woods said at the 2024 PGA Championship.
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Woods’ Car Accident
Between April of 2014 and January of 2021, Woods underwent five microdisectomy surgeries on his back. The last procedure came one month before Woods was involved in a single-vehicle rollover accident outside of Los Angeles. This obviously only complicated Woods’ already painful physical issues.
The accident left Woods with comminuted open fractures to the upper and lower sections of his right leg. He also suffered significant trauma to his right ankle. Woods eventually had to have a rod, screws and pins inserted in order to stabilize his leg.
Despite all of this, there is still one event that Woods could play before the end of the year. That event is next month’s PNC Championship, which Woods has played with his son Charlie since 2020. Only time will tell if Woods can recover enough by then to take part.