Tiger Woods issues injury update ahead of 2025

Tiger Woods has provided an update on his latest injury setback, as he looks ahead to 2025.

The 48-year-old ruled himself out of the Hero World Challenge this week, an event he hosts at Albany Golf Club in the Bahamas.

Woods was sidelined again in September after he underwent micro-decompression surgery of the lumbar spine.

“I am disappointed that I will not be able to compete this year at the Hero World Challenge, but always look forward to being tournament host and spending the week with @HeroMotoCorp,” he wrote on X.

Now, the 15-time major champion insists he’s not in the competitive shape to test the game’s best players.

“I’m not tournament sharp yet,” he said. “I’m still not there.

“These are 20 of the best players in the world, and I’m not sharp enough to compete against them at this level. When I’m ready to compete and play at this level, then I will.”

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Last year, Woods outlined that his best-case scenario for 2024 would be playing once a month.

That seemed an ambitious goal and Woods was only able to tee it up five times – appearing at the Genesis Invitational in February and the four major championships.

And Woods has told fans not to bank on that being achievable next year, either.

“I didn’t think my back was going to go like it did this year,” he said.

“It was quite painful throughout the end of the year, hence why I had another procedure done to alleviate the pain I had going down my leg.

“So, are my commitments going forward once a month? Yeah, I could say that all over again, but I truly don’t know.”

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Woods only played 11 rounds this year and hasn’t hit a tournament shot since missing the cut at The Open at Royal Troon in July.

The lack of action hasn’t eaten away at his competitive spirit, however.

“The fire still burns to compete,” Woods said, [but] “the difference is the recovery of the body is not what it used to be.

“The body just won’t recover like it used to, that’s part of age, part of an athlete’s journey.”

Fans will next see Woods tee it up in TGL, his indoor tech-infused league, which debuts in January.

His first match with Jupiter Links Golf Club is scheduled for January 14, and Woods told Bob Harig he will be ready to go. Albeit, he admitted it would be difficult to make it if the league started now.

Meanwhile, the 82-time PGA Tour winner responded to reports that US players could be paid to play in the Ryder Cup.

John Turnbull A graduate of the University of Stirling, John joined the bunkered team in 2023 as a Content Producer, with a responsibility for covering all breaking news, tour news, grassroots content and much more besides. A keen golfer, he plays the majority of his golf at Falkirk Golf Club. Top of his 'bucket list' is a round of Pebble Beach... ideally in the company of Gareth Bale.