Tiger update - another surgery

[cdnglf]

His life, his choice. But at some point, don’t you just get tired of all the injuries and surgeries?

 

What else is there to play for? He’s already the GOAT to most, and nothing he could reasonably do will convince the rest. He’s not going to get to 18, and even if he did, the Jack diehards would move the goalposts to seconds or something else.

 

 

[TheMoneyShot]

4 minutes ago, cdnglf said:

His life, his choice. But at some point, don’t you just get tired of all the injuries and surgeries?

 

What else is there to play for? He’s already the GOAT to most, and nothing he could reasonably do will convince the rest. He’s not going to get to 18, and even if he did, the Jack diehards would move the goalposts to seconds or something else.

 

 

Agreed.  I think he is pushing hard for win #83.  I think he wants to pass Sammy. 

[cdnglf]

1 minute ago, TheMoneyShot said:

Agreed.  I think he is pushing hard for win #83.  I think he wants to pass Sammy. 

I can appreciate that, but wonder about the wisdom in chasing even a regular win. He went 5 years between wins prior to this last resurgence.

[the bishop]

48 minutes ago, Christosterone said:

I’m not a doctor but play one on tv...

this is a very minor surgery as back surgeries go

source: my wife, an md, facep for 20+ years

 

-chris

I always go back to something I read once that said "minor surgery is what other people have".  When they cut you open its serious.  I know he's chasing history with 83 right in front of him and Jack's major record that seems to get further away by the day...but is it worth it?  Tiger could win another 10 Tour events and 5 more majors and some would find a way to argue he's still not the greatest.  He's done enough.  At least in my eyes.  Just don't want to see him sacrifice future quality of life.

[dlygrisse]

2 minutes ago, cdnglf said:

I can appreciate that, but wonder about the wisdom in chasing even a regular win. He went 5 years between wins prior to this last resurgence.

You have to ask what his real goals are now. Does he still think he is on a quest for 19 majors? Is it to just compete in majors?  I get that the competition is what he lives for, but he might need to find something else that works better for old guys. 

[mosesgolf]

I still say Tiger has one more good run left. 

[GSDriver]

Tiger won't give up, but he should.  Otherwise when he's another 10-15 years older might be in a worse situation....I'd bail on competitive golf if I were him.

[Christosterone]

4 minutes ago, the bishop said:

I always go back to something I read once that said "minor surgery is what other people have".  When they cut you open its serious.  I know he's chasing history with 83 right in front of him and Jack's major record that seems to get further away by the day...but is it worth it?  Tiger could win another 10 Tour events and 5 more majors and some would find a way to argue he's still not the greatest.  He's done enough.  At least in my eyes.  Just don't want to see him sacrifice future quality of life.

That’s why I said “for a back surgery”

especially given the torque a pro golfer puts on his back[spine]

 

any time you’re near the spinal cord all bets are off...

 

but as back[read spine] surgeries go, this one is not major....but, as u said, cutting open a human and mucking about in the vertebral column is not a walk in the park [ever]...

 

But, if all goes well, he could be back for the masters and should have little impeding his way back to the final 3 majors of the year...

 

again, I’m sure I’ve butchered my [much smarter] wife’s explanation but that’s the gist

 

-chris

Edited January 19, 2021 by Christosterone

[gators78]

1 hour ago, Christosterone said:

I’m not a doctor but play one on tv...

this is a very minor surgery as back surgeries go

source: my wife, an md, facep for 20+ years

 

-chris

 

Is the count now 4 microdiscectomy surgeries and 1 spine fusion?

[gsrjc]

Crazy. Hope he recovers accordingly and all these surgeries don’t affect him when he’s 60 or 70. 

[Christosterone]

8 minutes ago, gators78 said:

 

Is the count now 4 microdiscectomy surgeries and 1 spine fusion?

Here’s a fairly accurate injury and [limited] surgery timeline...

 

December 1994: Surgery on left knee to remove two benign tumors and scar tissue. 

 

Dec. 13, 2002: Surgery on left knee to remove fluid inside and outside the ACL and remove benign cysts from his left knee. Misses the season opener in 2003. 

 

August 2007: Ruptures the ACL in his left knee while running on a golf course after the British Open, but is able to keep playing. Wins five of the last six tournaments he plays, including the PGA Championship for his 13th major. 

 

April 15, 2008: Two days after the Masters, has arthroscopic surgery on his left knee to repair cartilage damage. 

 

May 2008: Advised weeks before the U.S. Open that he has two stress fractures of the left tibia and should rest for six weeks, the first three weeks on crutches.

 

June 24, 2008: Eight days after winning the U.S. Open, has surgery to repair the ACL in his left knee by using a tendon from his right thigh. Additional cartilage damage is repaired. Misses the rest of the season and does not return until the Match Play Championship at the end of February 2009. 

 

December 2008: Injured his Achilles tendon in his right leg as he was running while preparing to return to golf. 

 

Nov. 27, 2009: Hospitalized overnight with a sore neck and a cut lip that required five stitches when the SUV he was driving ran over a fire hydrant and into a tree. 

 

May 9, 2010: Withdrew from the final round of The Players Championship, citing a bulging disk. He later said it was a neck issue that caused tingling in his right side, and that it first became a problem as he began practicing harder for his return to the Masters a month earlier. 

 

April 10, 2011: Injures his left Achilles tendon hitting from an awkward stance below Eisenhower's Tree on the 17th at Augusta National. Withdraws from the Wells Fargo Championship. 

 

May 12, 2011: Withdraws from The Players Championship after a 42 on the front nine. Diagnosed with an MCL sprain in his left knee and in his left Achilles tendon. He misses the next two months, including two majors, returning at the Bridgestone Invitational. 

 

March 11, 2012: Feels tightness in his left Achilles tendon and withdraws after 11 holes of the final round in the Cadillac Championship at Doral. He wins in his next start at Bay Hill, his first PGA Tour victory since the scandal in his personal life. 

 

Aug. 24, 2012: Moves stiffly during the second round of The Barclays and later says he felt pain in his lower back, which he attributed to a soft mattress in his hotel room. 

 

June 13, 2013: Is seen shaking his left arm during the opening round of the U.S. Open. He later says it's a left elbow strain that he injured while winning The Players Championship a month earlier. He misses two tournaments and returns at the British Open. 

 

Aug. 11, 2013: Said he felt tightness in his back during the final round of the PGA Championship. 

 

Aug. 21, 2013: Two weeks after the PGA Championship, he only chips and putts on the back nine of the pro-am at The Barclays, complaining of a stiff neck and back that he attributed to a soft bed in the hotel. By Sunday at The Barclays, he dropped to his knees after one shot because of back spasms. 
 

March 2, 2014: Withdraws after 13 holes of the final round at The Honda Classic because of lower back pain and spams, describing it as similar to what he felt at The Barclays. 

 

March 9, 2014: Plays the final 12 holes with pain in his lower back, saying it began to flare up after hitting out of the bunker from an awkward lie in the Cadillac Championship at Doral. He shoots 78, the highest score of his career in a final round. 

 

March 19, 2014: Withdraws from the Arnold Palmer Invitational because of the persistent pain in his back. He was the two-time defending champion. 

 

March 31, 2014: Has surgery in Utah for a pinched nerve. 

 

April 1, 2014: Announced he will miss the Masters and not return to golf until the summer. 

 

Sept. 18, 2015: Underwent a second micro-discectomy surgery two days earlier to remove a disc fragment that was pinching his nerve.

 

October 2015: Woods has a procedure to "relieve discomfort" in his back and sets no timetable for his return to the PGA Tour.

 

April 20, 2017: Woods undergoes a fourth back surgery. The spinal fusion, labeled "a success" was to alleviate pain he had been experiencing in his back and leg. 

 

March 4, 2019: Woods withdraws from the Arnold Palmer Invitational with a neck strain

 

[Marco]

52 minutes ago, Sean2 said:

On GC they said he would make a full recovery, but I wonder if that's true. 

 

full recovery maybe, but they cut in the disc so its more fragile now as part of it is replaced with scar tissue, which means it will reherniate easier in the next few years

[bscinstnct]

It looks Tiger will have to catch lightning in a bottle to win again. And catch 2 ⚡️ bolts to win a major.

 

The only way he got honed enough to win the Masters was to push himself insanely forward that year and a half, ignoring all the pain, and play and practice enough to get as good or better than all the young wolves out there practicing and playing and gunning hard for the same wins.

 

He did it because his drive and desire pushed him to do what should not have been possible to do.

 

But now that he did it, I doubt he takes the same risks or pushes his pain/exhaustion threshold like that again. 

 

If by some miracle, his back gives him a solid year of comfort and relatively pain free play, he can practice and play enough to get his game in shape to win for sure. 
 

But otherwise, I imagine limited practice and playing time, difficulty getting momentum going, and having to rely on just playing his best at just the right time.

 

It could happen. Who knows?

 

Jack did it after all ; )
 

 

 

 

[Christosterone]

This is the last post I’ll make as I’m not a doctor and I’m likely butchering my better half’s explanation...’

 

but his full recovery could be 9 weeks, 9 months or never...

 

the fusion he had was performed as 3 micros did nothing...

 

we will see and no physician or surgeon has a crystal ball...

 

I hope Tiger plays the masters so I want to believ he will make a full recovery in less than 3 months....

 

But medicine and the human body’s recovery is not an exact science...everyone is different

 

-chris

[MUNIGRIT]

I wonder if the posters will apologize for talking smack about the guys who mentioned over the past year that something isn't right with him and he is hurting?

[bigred90gt]

1 hour ago, KRAMER1997 said:

What's the recovery time for a procedure like this? Could he be ready by Augusta or are we looking at another washout year?

I had the same procedure at L4-L5 in 2012, and again in 2014. Both doctors instructions: no swing a club in any way for 3 months. He will be lucky to be in tournament form for the masters. 

[bigred90gt]

1 hour ago, tbowles411 said:

Full has many meanings.  Full to compete?  Pain free?  Function?  One thing I know, "pain free" is probably not on that list.

It’s not

[bigred90gt]

1 hour ago, Socrates said:

I'm think that if this was just the removal of a bone fragment, they barely made an incision.  The problem will be if they had to go through old scar tissue which likely would slow healing.  I'm betting he tees it up at the Masters.

 

Discectomy is removal of part of the disc that is compressing on the nerve. Microdiscectomy is the same basic procedure, done under magnification with tools instead of direct visualization. My incision was around 1.5”. 
 

laminectomy is where they shave and remove bone fragments. Mine was a combination of the two (microdiscecomy/laminectomy). 

Edited January 19, 2021 by bigred90gt

[GolfTurkey]

16 minutes ago, bscinstnct said:

But otherwise, I imagine limited practice and playing time, difficulty getting momentum going, and having to rely on just playing his best at just the right time.

 

It could happen. Who knows?

 

Jack did it after all ; )

 

 

Unfortunately I doubt it. Tiger's spoken about it before; he's pretty much a momentum player. Play better in regular tournaments -> contend in regular tournaments -> win regular tournaments -> contend in majors -> win majors.

 

We could see the Masters win coming. He had contended in the PGA (and I think British Open) and won the Tour championship. There is no form to speak of at the moment.  Phil has always been the guy who could miss a cut then win next week.

[Draw Driver]

Certainly this is simply terrible news to hear this evening. While it was clear he wasn’t in great shape the last year or so, another procedure of this nature just raises so many more questions than answers.  
 

I was fortunate enough to watch him play in person; 2000 (peak) and afterward, two wins, 1 major. I always felt fortunate to have those opportunities.
 

While not ideal, I don’t foresee how his first start of the year is anything before The Masters (clearly not guaranteed).  A Florida swing start would be pretty remarkable in my opinion, if nothing else than balancing what would be gained compared to potentially re-injuring. 
 

Motivated by his children, history and his own goals, if anyone can overcome it, he can. I hope he can. 
 

We shall see. 

 

 

 

Edited January 19, 2021 by Draw Driver

[PowderedToastMan]

He’s going to recover, feel good for a while, and play great golf while he feels good. This is Tiger Woods we are talking about. He’s going to come back swinging and playing like Tiger. 
 

If he’s pain free at Augusta, he has a chance. Tiger doesn’t need near the “reps” he says he does in interviews. If his body allows it, at this point in his life, he needs little preparation to hit every shot with total command. His statements about reps, in my opinion, are only a means to relieve pressure. 

[Mustard_Tiger]

Thread title is weak. Tiger Update? Wow. Talk about burying the lead.

 

 

Edit - title changed.  Better!

Edited January 20, 2021 by Mustard_Tiger

[gvogel]

He'll take the year off and play no majors this year.  Then, fully rested, he'll try to come back in 2022.  He has a chance to win one more Masters if he heals properly.  if not, all bets are off.

 

Might be time for the Tiger fan club to move on.

[ebrasmus21]

Dude is so done

[PedronNiall]

I understand not wanting to hang it up when literally your entire life has been competing in front of an audience and showing that he's one of the best ever under pressure. When he made his last "big return" after the fusion he was pretty effusive about how much he missed being out there competing. Even when his body is telling him he might be nearing the point of no return I'm not surprised he's not done. It's definitely not an easy thing to turn off.

 

Michael Jordan didn't give it up when he should have. Ronnie Coleman literally destroyed his lower body to win all the Mr Olympias he took.  The personalities that produce the kind of wins and competition that most will never forget aren't the kind to go quietly into that good night.

Edited January 20, 2021 by PedronNiall

[tiderider]

tiger will have more surgeries ... fact ... 

[00steven]

If he does nothing else he’s the best of all time. Hope he can come back. The mans been through everything and I’m so grateful for the masters after that.

[jomatty]

I’m not even sure this is bad news.  Watching his swing speed drop made it clear that something wasn’t right.  At least now there is a chance that he gets back to being competitive.  

[grm24]

2 hours ago, PedronNiall said:

Michael Shumacher is about to return to F1 after years off and a less-than-stellar finish leading up to his retirement, despite his overall record career.

No his son Mick is entering F1 in 2021. Michael Schumacher had a really severe life threatening skiing accident in 2013 that he has never recovered from and nobody is sure how his health actually is. He was in a medically induced coma for 6-7 months.

 

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Michael_Schumacher#2013_skiing_accident

Edited January 20, 2021 by grm24

[BallerNate]

Oh man...horrible news. 🙏