Should Tiger Woods retire? A look at his injury history

Tiger Woods withdrew from The Genesis Invitational 2024 without finishing the second round. This time it was back spasms that caused the Legend to leave his fans waiting for a Phoenix-like rebirth.

The golf world spent hours staring at Tiger Woods‘ feet, trying to gauge from afar the success of the ankle fusion that kept him off the courses for six months in 2023. Even Woods himself focused most of his answers to questions about his health on his latest injury. But the fact that the reason for his retirement was nowhere near his ankle suggests that the problem may be bigger.

The ‘Big Cat’ has absolutely nothing to prove in professional golf, having not only become the most successful player of all time, but taken golf to the next level. So, should he retire?

How Tiger Woods feels about retiring from the sport

Tiger Woods himself has apparently ruled out the possibility of retirement from the sport. During the lead-up to the Genesis Invitational he said that, in his opinion, golf is the sport of a lifetime and that he loves competing in golf and all it comes with. In several previous interviews he has assured that he will play on the Senior circuit, when the time comes.

However, it cannot be overlooked that in the process of winning 110 professional tournaments, 82 of them on the PGA Tour and 15 majors, Tiger Woods has suffered more than 20 major injuries, most of which led him to suspend his competitive activity for certain periods.

That accumulation of ailments can take its toll on even the most gifted body. Not even the world’s greatest talent (not even Woods) is free from relying on what the body has to offer.

Tiger Woods’ injury history

Woods began suffering from injuries early in his career. In 2022, he underwent surgery to repair an anterior cruciate ligament injury.

Below is a summary of Woods’ major injuries throughout his career (via National Club Golfer):

• 2002: Anterior cruciate ligament (ACL) (Needed surgery)
• 2006: Muscle injury to his left shoulder blade
• 2007: Anterior cruciate ligament (ACL)
• 2008: Cartilage damage and stress fractures in his tibia (Needed surgery)
• 2008: Reconstructive surgery on his previously damaged anterior cruciate ligament
• 2009: Right achilles tendon
• 2010: Inflamed facet joint in his neck
• 2011: Left knee and left achilles tendon
• 2012: Achilles tendon
• 2013: Left elbow
• 2014: Lower back spasms (Needed surgery)
• 2015: Needed a second surgery for lower back issues
• 2017: Bottom lower-back disc severely narrowed, causing sciatica and severe back and leg pain (Needed a lower back fusion surgery)
• 2019: Neck strain and oblique strain (Needed an arthroscopic surgery on his leg)
• 2020: Needed surgery to take away a bone fragment that was attached to a nerve
• 2021: Car crash (Needed multiple surgeries)
• 2022: Plantar fasciitis in his right foot
• 2023: Ankle fusion.

No goodbye for Tiger Woods

If Tiger Woods himself has no plans to retire, true fans of the sport should cheer him on and support him. No one should doubt, after all, that Woods has enough competitive strokes left in him to give the golf world a surprise or two.

True, it hurts to see him withdraw from a tournament, overwhelmed by grief as well as frustration. But if anyone has overcome this kind of situation, it has been him. Not to forget, when many thought his career was over, Woods showed up winning The Masters in 2019.

Hopefully Woods can overcome this new challenge as he has done so many times in the past. The history of the sport would be infinitely grateful for a new victory that confirms that, in golf, the possibilities are endless and unforeseeable.

What there is no doubt about is that for Tiger Woods there is no possible goodbye. Not even when he announces one day that he is retiring from professional golf will fans stop expecting to see the red and black in every tournament. So, there is no point in wondering whether he should retire or not.