Injuries have been persistent with Tiger Woods for as long as we can remember. Back in 1994, the 18-year-old up-and-coming star golfer had to deal with surgery on his left knee to remove two benign tumors and scar tissues. But was that the end? In the unfortunate series of injuries in the upcoming years, fate dealt Woods a heavy blow in 2008 with his first Achilles tendon injury. More injuries followed with another left tendon injury in 2012. The weight was heavy but Woods was still positive. In 2012, he sent a sharp reminder to everyone concerned with his injuries and bad form: “Guys, I’ve done this before. I’ve been through this,” and followed the promise with a series of major wins.
But that was 13 years ago. We are in 2025 now and Tiger Woods is 49. Currently dealing with another major Achilles injury, the GOAT hasn’t been very active on the greens in a while. His performance during whatever events he appeared in hasn’t been great, either. Regardless, having dealt with so many injuries and still maintaining the caliber has made him one of the most important–if not the most important–figures in the sport. But the Masters is as near as it can be and fans are dying to see him play again. Will that happen? In the simplest terms: no. And Justin Thomas will explain why.
Sitting down for a press conference for the Valspar Championship, Justin Thomas was asked if he had met Woods after his injury. Is Tiger Woods as disappointed as us? “Of course, injuries are a bummer and it’s a tough recovery, but unfortunately, he’s been through a lot of ’em and had his fair share of injuries, but all of us will be there for him and support him when we need to,” stated JT.
Besides an Instagram post, we haven’t received any updates from Woods himself regarding his possible return. Adding to that, Thomas also remarks that this is something we’ll need to hear directly from Woods, “No, no, I mean that’s between him, kind of thing.” In the aforementioned Instagram post, Woods shared that the surgery was successful. “I am back home now and plan to focus on my recovery and rehab, thank you for all the support.” We don’t know how long this recovery will last, but Justin Thomas is just the latest name in a series of names who have delivered us this bad news. Let’s take a look at a few others.
The golf world is doubtful of Tiger Woods’s return despite his history of strong comebacks
Yes. Tiger Woods is a king of comebacks. Let’s take a few major examples. The 2012 season came with another Achilles injury. Consequently, he slipped to #18 in OWGR. But Woods wasn’t going to let that No. 1 position slip away. Come 2014 and despite a series of back injuries, he makes his way back as the World No. 1. He falls again, suffers back-to-back injuries, and yet takes home the 2019 Masters win. And this is just a couple of instances. There have been more. And while the golf analysts know that, however, they are doubtful this time.
Very recently, Fred Couples, a long-time friend and mentor of Woods, shared an update on the golfer: “He’s in great spirits for a ruptured Achilles. He’ll be fine.” Positive note? Well, at least not clearly. But Couples also adds that the unfortunate death of his mother has also deeply impacted him–as it would anyone else. “He was scheduled to play a few events, not a ton, but a few. And you know his mother’s passing away would slow anyone down. But he’s my man, and texting him is a lot of fun.”
Golf Channel’s Jamie Diaz also made certain remarks, “It’s a huge setback. He probably loses this year. I mean there’s certainly been examples of people coming back sooner from Achilles tendon, but you know, his age and with all the things he has to do to train… I don’t see a real quick recovery.” Oh, well, not a very positive note. Injuries can take a longer time to heal with age, especially considering that these are major injuries. So it’s not entirely surprising to see Diaz’s reaction.
Even former PGA Tour pro, Paul Gow, sat down for an interview on FOX Sports Australia.
Regardless, there seems to be fewer and fewer positive news regarding this situation as we are heading closer and closer to the Masters. Do you think something positive might happen?
