Tiger Woods is no stranger to comebacks, but the road back this time is proving to be one of his slowest yet.
Speaking Tuesday at the Hero World Challenge - his own event in the Bahamas - the 15-time major champion gave a candid update on his latest recovery journey, saying that his rehab from back surgery in October hasn’t progressed as quickly as he’d hoped. Woods, who turns 50 later this month, underwent a disc replacement procedure, marking the seventh operation on his back and the latest chapter in a career filled with both brilliance and physical setbacks.
“It’s not as fast as I’d like it to be,” Woods said, offering a familiar tone of patience and realism. “It was a good thing to do, something I needed to have happen, and it just takes time and dedication to the rehab process.”
That process, as Woods described, is still in its early stages. He was only recently cleared to begin chipping and putting - a small but significant step for a player whose game has always been built on precision and feel.
But as for a return to full swings, tournament prep, and walking 72 holes? That’s still a ways off.
“I’m just looking forward to just let me get back to playing again,” he said. “Let me do that and then I’ll kind of figure out what the schedule is going to be.”
Woods made it clear he’s not ready to pencil in any dates, not even for the Genesis Invitational in February - a tournament he hosts in Los Angeles and has historically used as a potential comeback stage. Asked directly about it, he didn’t bite: “As I said, I don’t know… A disc replacement takes time. It’s longer - it’s not as long as a fusion, thank God, but it’s going to take time.”
It’s a familiar cycle for Woods. Since his devastating car accident in 2021, which left him with severe leg injuries, the comeback trail has been a constant part of his narrative. He returned to competition at the 2022 Masters and managed to make the cut, finishing 47th in a performance that was more about grit than leaderboard position.
But the setbacks have kept coming. After undergoing another back procedure in September 2024, Woods revealed in March that he’d also suffered a ruptured Achilles tendon - yet another hurdle in a career that’s seen more surgeries than most players have tour wins.
Now, the focus is on slow, steady progress. Woods said he’s begun some light gym work and is easing into rotational movements - a crucial part of the golf swing that puts particular strain on the lower back.
“Now we got the OK to start cranking up a little bit in the gym,” he said. “Started strengthening and started doing a little bit more of the rotational component that I haven’t been able to do.
Just letting the disc kind of set.”
While the timeline remains uncertain, one thing is clear: Woods isn’t rushing this. He’s been through enough rehabs to know that pushing too hard, too fast is a recipe for setbacks. His words carried the weight of experience, but also a flicker of hope - that if he can build up to practicing again, and if his body responds, then maybe, just maybe, we’ll see him back out there.
But for now, it’s about patience. No swings off the tee.
No tournament targets. Just chipping, putting, and letting the back settle.
It’s not the flashiest part of the process, but for Tiger Woods, it’s the necessary grind before the next chapter can begin. And if we’ve learned anything over the years, it’s that you never count him out - not when he’s still putting in the work.