Tiger Woods has revealed his recovery from his latest back surgery is not going ‘as fast as I’d like it to be’.
Woods, the legendary 15-time major winner, had lumbar disk replacement surgery on October 10.
He has not played a round on the PGA Tour since the 2024 Open Championship at Royal Troon.
And it appears he is still far from ready to make his long-awaited return to competitive golf.
Speaking on Tuesday, Woods revealed he was cleared to start chipping and putting last week but is still not close to a full return.
In 2022, Woods played just three tournaments and in 2023 he managed just two. In 2024, he appeared five times but missed the cut at the PGA Championship, US Open and The Open.
He has not featured in a single PGA Tour event since missing the cut at The Open in July 2024, gradually seeing his name tumble down the rankings.
Back in October, The Daily Mail spoke to a source close to the golfer to find out how he plans to recover – and if he wants to play again when he is back healthy.
‘He’s not stupid. He knows things are winding down, and he’s coming to terms with it,’ the insider admitted. ‘He’s turning 50 this year.
‘He won’t retire but he’s slowing down. He wants to do at least one more major and to perform well in it. He wants to end the career with a bang, not a whimper. But right now, we’ll have to see.’
The source close to Woods stressed that the golfer’s main focus at present is his recovery – and that will determine his future.
‘He’s not in denial, but he wants to push himself until there’s nothing more he can do. It depends on his recovery if he’s there yet or not. Seems pretty likely that he is,’ they added.
Woods will turn 50 on December 30, making him officially eligible to compete on the senior tour.
