When Tiger Woods limped out of The Masters during the third round at Augusta National, it seemed inevitable he would face a spell out of the game, and that was confirmed days afterwards when it was announced he had undergone subtalar fusion surgery on his ankle.
No potential comeback date was given for the 15-time Major winner at that time, but seven months on, there have been encouraging signs he is closing in on a return to competitive action.
In October, he was seen hitting balls for the first time since the surgery, while in recent days, he has caddied for his son Charlie on all four days of the Notah Begay III Junior Golf National Championship.
Following that task, Woods has now given a rare update on his progress and revealed he is pain free in the ankle, although he still has issues elsewhere in his right leg. Per AP Golf Writer Doug Ferguson, the 47-year-old began with the good news, saying: “My ankle is fine. Where they fused my ankle, I have absolutely zero issue whatsoever. That pain is completely gone.”
That will be music to the ears of his legion of fans eager to see him back playing as soon as possible. However, there is a caveat. Woods continued: “It’s the other areas that have been compensated for.”
According to Ferguson, Woods then compared the process to the fusion surgery he had on his lower back in 2017, where the L5 and S1 vertebrae were healed, but it had a knock-on effect elsewhere.
He continued: “All the surrounding areas is where I had all my problems, and I still do. So you fix one, others have to become more hypermobile to get around it, and it can lead to some issues.”
Despite those reservations, carrying the bag for four straight days is no easy task, particularly without a push cart, but that’s what Woods achieved. Still, he admitted that the experience had taken a toll. “I’m pretty sore after caddying for four days,” he said. “It was a flat course, thank God.”
While there’s no timeframe for a comeback, there are two events before the end of the year that Woods may still be targeting.
The first is the Hero World Challenge, which he hosts. Intriguingly, it still has one slot available in the 20-player field. However, it is now only a matter of weeks away, beginning on 30 November. Two weeks later comes the PNC Championship, where Woods has been a regular in recent years alongside Charlie and would be able to use a cart.
