Jane Barlow | Getty Photos
The golf world will wait a minimum of a little bit bit longer to see Tiger Woods.
The 15-time main champion introduced Monday night that he is not going to compete within the Hero World Problem, the occasion he hosts yearly within the Bahamas, as he continues to recuperate from his Sept. 13 microdiscectomy surgical procedure.
“I’m disillusioned that I will be unable to compete this yr on the Hero World Problem, however at all times stay up for being match host and spending the week with @HeroMotoCorp,” he posted on social media. “Excited to welcome our exemptions @JustinThomas34, @JDayGolf and @NickDunlap62 into the sphere.”
The Hero, scheduled for the primary week in December, attracts the golf world’s consideration yearly for its star-studded discipline and affiliation with Woods. Tiger serves as match host and has used the occasion as a staging floor for numerous aggressive reboots over the past decade.
Monday’s information signifies he’s nonetheless recovering from the September again surgical procedure that sidelined him, the sixth process to his backbone for the reason that fusion surgical procedure that breathed new life into his aggressive profession within the late 2010s. Woods mentioned in September that he hoped the most recent surgical procedure — a minimally invasive process to take away a herniated disc and the related stress on the nerves — would alleviate the “again spasms and ache” he was experiencing all through a lot of the 2024 season.
“I stay up for tackling the rehab and making ready myself to return to regular life actions, together with golf,” he mentioned in an announcement then.
His withdrawal from the sphere would possibly disappoint golf followers, however it’s hardly a shock. Woods remains to be simply 10 weeks faraway from the surgical procedure, and the spinal torque required of the golf swing calls for a gradual rehab course of. He missed two months with the same damage previous to his automotive accident in 2021 — a timeline that possible wouldn’t be shortened to permit Woods a begin in a limited-field occasion.
Woods has performed sparingly lately, however he has earned an everyday presence on the PGA Tour’s December schedule. A yr in the past he performed within the Hero, and has performed every of the final a number of years within the annual PNC Championship alongside his son, Charlie. Woods has nonetheless not introduced his intentions for the PNC, however he would be capable of compete in that occasion from the consolation of a golf cart, a luxurious not afforded on the Hero.
In both case, although, golf followers received’t have to attend lengthy to listen to from the person himself. Woods will nonetheless be in attendance on the Hero World Problem, and can give his annual press convention in his function as match host.