The latest setback came this week when Woods revealed on social media that he had ruptured his left Achilles tendon and underwent minimally invasive surgery on Tuesday. The injury will sideline him for the Masters next month and likely the rest of the year.
“It sucks,” said Rory McIlroy at The Players Championship on Wednesday. “He doesn’t have much luck when it comes to injuries and his body. We obviously won’t see him play golf this year, and hopefully we see him maybe play in 2026.”
For Woods, the player who transformed golf into a global spectacle, everything is now a “maybe.” His dominance, marked by 15 major championships and 82 PGA Tour wins, once made him the sport’s undisputed king. But a cascade of injuries and surgeries has left his future uncertain.
Woods’ recent struggles include the loss of his mother, Kultida, last month, which led him to withdraw from the Genesis Invitational. He also opted out of The Players Championship, the final year of his exemption from winning the 2019 Masters.
In his social media post, Woods explained, “As I began to ramp up my training and practice at home, I felt a sharp pain in my left Achilles, which was deemed to be ruptured.”
The list of Woods’ injuries is staggering: multiple knee and back surgeries, stress fractures, Achilles injuries, and a near-fatal car crash in 2021 that left his right leg and ankle so damaged that amputation was considered. Despite these setbacks, Woods has repeatedly fought his way back, though his appearances have been limited mostly to majors in recent years.
Since the 2021 crash, Woods has played in eight majors, completing all 72 holes just twice—both at the Masters. He was never in contention, a far cry from the player who once seemed destined to surpass Jack Nicklaus’ record of 18 major titles.
“If he’d have been healthy, I think he would have got it,” Nicklaus said in a recent interview. “But he didn’t remain healthy. I feel bad for him.”
Woods’ last major victory came at the 2019 Masters, a remarkable comeback given his struggles with back pain just two years earlier. Later that year, he won in Japan to tie Sam Snead’s record of 82 PGA Tour victories. Since then, however, he has not come close to adding to his legacy.
What keeps Woods going? For many golfers, the question of when to step away is a difficult one. McIlroy, who turns 36 in May, has already begun planning his eventual exit. “I’d like to walk away with a little bit left in the tank,” he said. “I think if you can come to terms with that and walk away on your own terms, then that’s a good thing.”
Nicklaus, who continued playing majors for 12 years after his last win in 1986, never wanted to become a ceremonial golfer. For Woods, the path forward is unclear. He holds lifetime exemptions to the Masters and PGA Championship and can play the British Open for another decade. But his ability to compete will depend on his health.
When asked if Woods could ever be competitive again, McIlroy replied, “He’ll try—I know he’ll try. But that’s a question for him, not for me. Judging by prior behavior, he’ll definitely try.”
For now, fans can only hope to see Woods return to the course, even as the odds grow longer with each passing year.