Tiger Woods Undergoes Ankle Surgery, No Timetable for Return

Woods withdrew from the Masters two weeks ago and has competed in just five official events since returning at Augusta in 2022.

Tiger Woods had ankle surgery to address issues associated with a talus fracture that occurred during the 2021 car crash that led to multiple operations and kept him from competing for more than a year.

The 15-time major champion had the surgery in New York, which was announced by his foundation via Woods’ Twitter account. The surgery was performed by Dr. Martin O’Malley at HSS Special Medicine Institute in New York.

It was described as a success and was said to address the arthritis associated with the injuries to his ankle.

This will assuredly knock Woods out of next month’s PGA Championship, which appeared doubtful anyway after he withdrew from the Masters two weeks ago, saying he had a recurrence of plantar fasciitis.

Related: Full List of Tiger Woods's Surgeries, Through the Years

Woods, 47, withdrew from the Masters following the suspension of the third round and before the resumption of play Sunday morning, having made the 36-hole cut for the 23rd consecutive year.

He later announced that he had a recurrence of plantar fasciitis, which sidelined him in December and kept him from competing at the Hero World Challenge.

Woods, who suffered multiple injuries to his right foot, ankle and leg in the car crash near Los Angeles, has competed in just five official events since returning at the 2022 Masters. He played at the Genesis Invitational in February, where he tied for 45th.

Last year, he surprisingly returned at the Masters, just 14 months after the crash, and made the cut before finishing 47th. He also made the cut at the PGA Championship but withdrew following the third round; it was later revealed that Woods had a screw associated with his surgeries protruding from his skin. He missed the U.S. Open and then missed the cut at the British Open at St. Andrews.

Woods had planned to play in his foundation’s event, the Hero, in the Bahamas, but withdrew on the Monday of tournament week due to the plantar fasciitis diagnosis.

He has said several times that his goal was to play “in the major championships and maybe a couple more.’’

Without a timeline, the U.S. Open in June at Los Angeles Country Club would also appear to be in doubt. That event is eight weeks away.

The Open returns to Royal Liverpool in July, where Woods won his last Claret Jug in 2006.


Published
Bob Harig
BOB HARIG

Bob Harig is a senior writer covering golf for Sports Illustrated. He has more than 25 years experience on the beat, including 15 at ESPN. Harig is a regular guest on Sirius XM PGA Tour Radio and has written two books, "DRIVE: The Lasting Legacy of Tiger Woods" and "Tiger and Phil: Golf's Most Fascinating Rivalry." He graduated from Indiana University where he earned an Evans Scholarship, named in honor of the great amateur golfer Charles (Chick) Evans Jr. Harig, a former president of the Golf Writers Association of America, lives in Clearwater, Fla.