Rory McIlroy reacts to Tiger Woods’ injury: “It sucks”

Rory McIlroy was, like so much of the golf world, very disappointed to hear about Tiger Woods’ injury. The legendary golfer suffered a ruptured Achilles tendon while trying to ramp up for an appearance at the Masters next month.

Woods and McIlroy represent two different eras, with Woods dominating the 2000s and McIlroy truly rising to fame in the 2010s, but they’re both among the most decorated golfers since the turn of the century. McIlroy reacted to Woods’ unfortunate setback.

Rory McIlroy addresses Tiger Woods’ injury

Rory McIlroy was going to get the chance to compete against Tiger Woods once more at the Masters in April, but Woods will not be available after Achilles surgery. The golfer may or may not be able to return in 2025 at all.

“It sucks,” McIlroy said after the news broke via ESPN. “Yeah, he doesn’t have much luck when it comes to injuries and his body. Obviously, he was trying to ramp up to get ready for Augusta, and Achilles surgeries obviously aren’t fun. Hoping he’s in good spirits and hoping he’s doing OK.”

With that said, McIlroy isn’t certain we’ve seen the last of Woods. “We obviously won’t see him play golf this year, and hopefully we [will] see him maybe play in 2026,” McIlroy added “He’ll try. I know he’ll try. But that’s a question for him, not for me. I obviously don’t know what’s in his head, but judging by prior behavior, he’ll definitely try.”

McIlroy said that Woods, who’d been mourning the death of his mother in February, wasn’t necessarily close to ready to compete for four days in a golf tournament, but that the injury happened because Woods was attempting to get ready.

“He was obviously trying to get closer by ramping up and training and practicing and doing whatever he was doing. Yeah, I’d say he was trying to catch up on some lost time there,” McIlroy added. Woods will turn 50 in December, which would likely be well clear of his recovery, and become eligible for the Champions Tour.

However, as competitive as he is, he may still want to compete in Signature Events and Majors as part of the PGA Tour without moving to the “retirement tour.” Unfortunately, his body may disagree after yet another surgery.