Tiger Woods has undergone fusion surgery on his right ankle to alleviate arthritis caused by a broken bone. The procedure, which took place in New York, was to address post-traumatic arthritis from when he broke his talus bone in February 2021.
Woods shattered multiple bones in his right leg and ankle in a car crash in February 2021, which was so severe that doctors contemplated amputation. Woods has had multiple surgeries on his leg since then, and the ankle has been causing most of the problems of late, including a noticeable limp when he played four of the last five majors, most recently the Masters two weeks ago.
The subtalar fusion procedure is expected to take eight to 12 weeks of recovery time. This timeline all but rules out Woods’ participation in the PGA Championship next month, given that it will be held in Oak Hill in Rochester, New York, with likely cold temperatures. There is also no timetable for his return to playing golf, with his agent, Mark Steinberg, stating that the first goal is for Woods to recover and lead a much more enjoyable day-to-day life.
Despite his recent injuries and surgeries, Woods has made an impressive return to golf. He walked 72 holes in the Masters just 14 months after the car crash, and has missed only one cut – the British Open at St. Andrews last summer. He withdrew after three rounds of the PGA Championship last year and withdrew this year in the middle of the third round of the rain-delayed Masters, citing plantar fasciitis for his withdrawal.
Woods has had a total of five surgeries on his back, including fusion surgery on his lower spine that allowed him to return to play. He has won 15 major championships in his career, the most recent being the Masters in 2019, and the 82nd career PGA Tour title, tying the record of Sam Snead.
