Tiger Woods's Surgeries: Back, Knee, Ankle Ailments Throughout His Career

The ankle surgery Woods announced on Wednesday is the latest in a long list of procedures.
Tiger Woods's Surgeries: Back, Knee, Ankle Ailments Throughout His Career
Tiger Woods's Surgeries: Back, Knee, Ankle Ailments Throughout His Career /

Tiger Woods announced on Wednesday that he underwent surgery in New York City on his right ankle.

The procedure is the latest in nearly 30 years of various surgeries to the Hall of Famer's back, knees and ankle. Here's a list of the known procedures:

1994: Two benign tumors and scar tissue are removed from Woods's left knee. 

2002: Fluid removed from inside and outside the ACL of his left knee. Benign cysts also removed.

2008: In April after the Masters, has surgery on his left knee to repair cartilage damage. In May, he was told by doctors that he had two stress fractures in his left tibia.

In June, he famously won the U.S. Open on that injured leg before undergoing surgery to repair his left ACL using a tendon from his right thigh.

2014: After withdrawing from two events in the Florida Swing, has surgery on a pinched nerve in his back

2015: In September, Woods has two microdiscectomy surgeries on his back to remove bone fragments that were pinching a nerve.

In October, he has another back surgery.

2017: In April, he has a spinal fusion, his fourth back surgery. 

2019: In August, he has arthroscopic surgery to what he described as minor cartilage damage in his left knee. It's his fifth procedure on the knee.

2021: In January, he undergoes another back surgery, again a microdiscectomy to remove a bone fragment that was pinching a nerve.

In February, Woods has a car accident in California. His right leg and ankle are severely broken, requiring emergency surgery including inserting a rod into his tibia and screws and pins into his foot and ankle.

2023: In April, two weeks after the Masters, Woods has ankle surgery to address issues associated with a talus fracture that occurred during the 2021 car crash.


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John Schwarb
JOHN SCHWARB

John Schwarb is a senior editor for Sports Illustrated covering golf. Prior to joining SI in March 2022, he worked for ESPN.com, PGATour.com, Tampa Bay Times and Indianapolis Motor Speedway. He is the author of The Little 500: The Story of the World's Greatest College Weekend. A member of the Golf Writers Association of America, Schwarb has a bachelor's in journalism from Indiana University.