Timeline: A look at Tiger Woods’ injuries throughout his career
Throughout his career, Tiger Woods has suffered numerous injuries that have caused him to miss time on the golf course. In December 2002, he underwent surgery to remove fluid from his left knee, which sidelined him for a few weeks. In April 2008, he had arthroscopic surgery on his left knee to repair cartilage damage, and it was later revealed that he had stress fractures in his left tibia. After winning the U.S. Open title in 2008, he had reconstructive surgery on his ACL in his left knee, which kept him out of action for nearly nine months. In May 2010, he withdrew from The Players Championship due to an inflamed facet joint in his neck. In April 2011, he announced a minor injury to his left knee and Achilles’ tendon that caused him to withdraw from the Wells Fargo Championship. In May of that year, he withdrew from The Players Championship due to a sprain of the MCL ligament in his left knee and a strain to the left Achilles’ tendon, causing him to miss three months of action. In March 2012, he withdrew from the WGC-Cadillac Championship due to an injury to his left Achilles’ tendon, but won the Arnold Palmer Invitational two weeks later. In June 2013, he missed the AT&T National due to a left elbow strain. In March 2014, he withdrew from the Honda Classic due to lower back spasms and then announced he would miss the Masters due to a pinched nerve in his back. In August 2014, he withdrew from the WGC-Bridgestone Invitational due to lower back pain. In February 2015, he withdrew from the Farmers Insurance Open due to a back injury. In September 2015, he had a second microdisectomy surgery to remove a disc fragment that was pinching his nerve, causing him to miss several events. In April 2016, he announced he would miss the Masters due to his back condition. In September 2016, he hoped to return to the Safeway Open, but withdrew due to concerns about his game. In February 2017, he withdrew from the Omega Dubai Desert Classic due to back spasms and announced he would not compete in the Genesis.