Tiger Woods facing year on the sidelines, reckons top surgeon

Tiger Woods might not play again until next year’s Masters Tournament.

That’s the opinion of tour-pro-turned-orthopedic-surgeon Dr Bill Mallon.

Woods, 47, underwent a subtalar fusion on his right foot in New York last week after withdrawing ahead of the marathon final day at The Masters earlier this month.

A short statement posted on the 15-time major champion’s Twitter account confirmed that the procedure had gone well but offered no timetable for his return to action.

According to Dr Mallon – who played on the PGA Tour for four seasons in the 1970s before retraining as a surgeon – the former world No.1 is facing another extended spell on the sidelines.

“To play competitive golf, it’s probably going to be nine months to a year,” he told the latest episode of The bunkered Podcast.

“To play golf a little bit at the club with a cart and things like that, you could maybe start doing that at around six months, assuming everything heals well.

“He may be able to get back to chipping and putting a little bit some time after three months but maybe not taking full swings for another month or two after that.

“There may be a chance for him to get back in December in time for a couple of those ‘silly season’ events. He could possibly play in those if everything goes well but I suspect the next time we could see him try to play a tour event is next year’s Masters ”

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Dr Mallon added that when Woods returns, it’s unlikely he’ll be able to add to his incredible haul of titles.

“We’re never going to see the Tiger of 2000, 2001 or 2002. That might have been the greatest three-year span that anybody ever had. I don’t think we’ll ever even see the Tiger of 2008 to 2013 or so. My own opinion is I don’t think he’s going to win another tournament.

“People on Twitter have said in response to me, ‘But this is Tiger Woods, he’s so mentally tough.’ Yeah, he’s mentally tough but he’s also had five back surgeries, he’s got a foot fusion now, and he’s got other problems in his foot.

pic.twitter.com/qlsq32JpQi

— Tiger Woods (@TigerWoods) April 19, 2023

“He’s won 82 PGA Tour events and 15 major championships. My suspicion is that’s it. That’s what he’s going to end up with.”

Despite that, Dr Mallon believes that there’s no reason for Woods to hang up the clubs and turn in his tour card just yet.

“I don’t think we’ve reached that point,” he added. “The nice thing about golf is that it’s one of the few sports you can play for a lifetime. You can play late into your 80s or if you’re not physically fit. I don’t think Tiger is doing major damage to his body by continuing to try to play.

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“The problem for Tiger is that he’s got expectations. He’s Tiger Woods. He wants to play like the Tiger Woods of old. It may be that he says, ‘Psychologically, I’m not prepared to play like somebody who is happy to make the cut and finish 45th at The Masters or something like that. I’d rather not do that.’

“But physically, I think he can play and I don’t think he’s doing any long-term harm to himself. The question is whether Tiger is willing to accept anything less than what we’ve come to expect from him.”

• Click here to listen to the full interview with Dr Mallon on the latest episode of The bunkered Podcast.

Michael McEwan is the Deputy Editor of bunkered and has been part of the team since 2004. In that time, he has interviewed almost every major figure within the sport, from Jack Nicklaus, to Rory McIlroy, to Donald Trump. The host of the multi award-winning bunkered Podcast and a member of Balfron Golfing Society, Michael is the author of three books and is the 2023 PPA Scotland 'Writer of the Year' and 'Columnist of the Year'. Dislikes white belts, yellow balls and iron headcovers. Likes being drawn out of the media ballot to play Augusta National.

Deputy Editor