Woods has more back surgery

It's being reported that Woods has had further back surgery (third time in 19 months) and will be out for another six months. How much longer will he keep kidding himself before he accepts the inevitable and decides to call it a day?

http://www.bbc.co.uk/sport/golf/39662377

He is done. Great career but now over.

beninho wrote:He is done. Great career but now over.

More than likely true.

McLaren wrote:

beninho wrote:He is done. Great career but now over.

More than likely true.

We can only hope.

Even if he was to come back, to expect him to get to the standard of Johnson, McIlroy, Day or even Gordon Spieth or Fowler is a bit of a stretch.

Perhaps he could reach Poulter's standard, but can't ever see him being a top player again.

Maybe Poulter will finally be right when he said "soon it'll be just me and Tiger".

It sounds as if Woods at least had the sense to use a different surgeon this time; the previous one doesn't seem to have done him any favours.

Makes you wonder, are any of the current crop capable of double digit majors? You'd have to say Rory was the best bet, hard to imagine he won't win at least another 3 or 4, but who knows. Spieth must have another 15 years left, but is he too reliant on his putting stroke?
If Woods is gone would that leave Phil as the regular player on tour with the most majors?

Diggers wrote:Makes you wonder, are any of the current crop capable of double digit majors? You'd have to say Rory was the best bet, hard to imagine he won't win at least another 3 or 4, but who knows. Spieth must have another 15 years left, but is he too reliant on his putting stroke?
If Woods is gone would that leave Phil as the regular player on tour with the most majors?

Of the Under-50's
5: Phil
4: Rory, Ernie
3: Padraig
Several with 2.

I wouldn't be surprised if Rory never won another major. Plenty of majors since his last victory where he has played some good stuff but never really looked like winning. I also wouldn't be surprised if he won another half dozen.

Rory has had a lot of distractions in the last 4-5 months. But I can't see him not contend in the upcoming majors.

More positive news about his recovery posted on his website yesterday.
Good to hear he's on the mend. Modern golf at the highest level is just too hard on the body, I can't see him returning to being a serious competitor, would love to as the game does need him.
I'll save ya having to visit his site -

"It has been just over a month since I underwent fusion surgery on my back, and it is hard to express how much better I feel. It was instant nerve relief. I haven’t felt this good in years.

I could no longer live with the pain I had. We tried every possible non-surgical route and nothing worked. I had good days and bad days, but the pain was usually there, and I couldn’t do much. Even lying down hurt. I had nerve pain with anything I did and was at the end of my rope. The process leading up to my decision to have surgery was exhaustive. I consulted with a specialist, and after weighing my options, that’s when I decided to go to Texas to have surgery.

You mention the word ‘fusion,’ and it’s scary. Other guys who have had fusions or disc replacements like Davis Love III, Retief Goosen, Lee Trevino, Lanny Wadkins and Dudley Hart … they have all come back and played. But more than anything, it made their lives better. That’s the most important thing … that I can have a life again with my kids.

I did everything I could to play at Augusta and was ready to go. Unfortunately, it was kind of like the 2008 U.S. Open. The pain was post-impact when I swung the club. I figured, ‘Can I handle it?’ This time the answer was, ‘probably not.’ That shows the effect nerve pain can have.

Obviously, it was a huge disappointment not to play. I hate to miss any major, especially the Masters, but the reality is I just couldn’t play. Again, I want to congratulate Sergio on a great win.

I had a fantastic time at the Champions Dinner. There were so many great stories from the 1950s about Arnold. Some of them most of us already knew, but some of the younger guys didn’t. It was just a lot of fun. We all miss him.

As for returning to competitive golf, the long-term prognosis is positive. My surgeon and physiotherapist say the operation was successful. It’s just a matter of not screwing up and letting it fuse. I’m walking and doing my exercises, and taking my kids to and from school. All I can do is take it day by day. There’s no hurry.

But, I want to say unequivocally, I want to play professional golf again.

Presently, I’m not looking ahead. I can’t twist for another two and a half to three months. Right now, my sole focus is rehab and doing what the doctors tell me. I am concentrating on short-term goals.

I want to thank my doctors for their great work and support throughout this process. I also want to thank the fans for your phenomenal support. It means more than you know. There’s a long way to go, but as I said, words cannot convey how good it feels to be pain-free.

Next month, TGR Live will host the Quicken Loans National. It’s going to be a fun event for us because we’ve never been to TPC Potomac at Avenel Farm. Billy Hurley will defend his title, and we’re waiting for a few more commitments. It should be another memorable tournament.

For a while now, I have been more involved with TGR growing domestically and working with future sponsors for our global expansion. It’s an exciting time and we will continue to push forward.........

....... That’s about it for now. Have a great summer"

Having herniated a disc in my back nearly 15 years ago, I can fully appreciate how it must feel being relieved of the constant pain. You cannot explain to people what living with constant pain is like, how dibiltating in all areas of your life.

I hear you Monty, I had a microdiscectomy on a ruptured disc L5-S1 about 10 years ago, absolutely fine now thankfully, and it was instant relief. Tried to live with the pain for about a year prior to that, no fun at all!

Having said that, having a fusion and disc replacement looks like a whole other kettle of fish, I couldn't imagine trying to test my back out against the levels of practice that need to go into golf at elite golf, it will be a big ask for Tiger with a fusion and disc replacement.

Can't imagine Tiger will ever be close to what he was. Even if he becomes pain free and "learns" a new less damaging swing, we all revert to old habits under pressure. Hope I'm wrong, but I seriously doubt it.

Whoops! Not sure his back is going to be the imminent issue:

http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-us-canada-40087317

Navy

See Kwini's thread. Already being discussed there.