Just In: Woods will miss the hero

At the Hero World Challenge next week in the Bahamas, Tiger Woods said that his body is not ready for prime time and that he will not play.

In September, Woods said that he had successful microdecompression surgery in his lower back to treat cramps that kept him from playing in 2024. This shouldn’t come as a surprise.

His sixth back surgery was a success, but Woods’ back has always been a problem.

“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,” said Woods. “I look forward to tackling this rehab and preparing myself to get back to normal life activities, including golf.”

Woods hasn’t played much professional golf lately, and he’ll be 49 years old on December 30.

In 2024, Woods played in five tournaments. He made the cut in one, the Masters, and came in 60th place.

The other four didn’t make the cut at the PGA Championship, the U.S. Open, the Open Championship, and the Genesis Invitational in the second round.

Woods has played in 20 games since the beginning of 2020. He made the cut eight times or withdrew from eight others, with his only top-10 finish coming at the Farmers Insurance Open in January 2020.

“It’s too bad I won’t be able to compete in the Hero World Challenge this year. But I always look forward to hosting the tournament and spending the week with @HeroMotoCorp.” We are happy to have @JustinThomas34, @JDayGolf, and @NickDunlap62 join the field. Wednesday, Woods wrote on Twitter. The real question is how long will Woods play in public.

Woods had five back surgeries, but he needed a sixth one. From what you can tell, did the surgery help Woods play more and better golf, or was it more for his quality of life?

“I’ve been working out a lot more effectively, and our gym sessions have been very intense, which is wonderful.” “My body feels better when I can do these things, and it shows in my ability to hit the ball better,” Woods said at a press meeting before the Open Championship in July. “During practice, I can’t stay out there as long as I’d like, but it’s nice to be able to do some things I haven’t been able to do all year.”

Woods missed the cut at Royal Troon, and two months later he had his sixth surgery.

Timbers makes it hard to decide what to think.

The media often try to figure out what Woods means when he speaks or is interviewed.

In his most recent message on Twitter or X, Woods didn’t say anything about his golfing prospects, like when or if he will play again.

Now people are guessing if he will play at the PNC Championship with his son Charlie. In the past, the two Woods have been a big hit there.

There are a lot of questions that will not be solved until next week. Woods can ride a cart at the PNC, which could make the difference.

We always wait to talk about Woods instead.