Tiger Woods Speaks After Undergoing ‘Successful’ Ankle Surgery Following Withdrawal From 2023 Masters
Tiger Woods is on the mend following his departure from the 2023 Masters Tournament.
On Wednesday, a statement shared on the 47-year-old athlete’s Twitter account revealed that he underwent ankle surgery performed by Dr. Martin O’Malley at the HSS Sports Medicine Institute in New York.
“Earlier today, Tiger underwent a subtalar fusion,” the statement reads, noting that the procedure will assist with his post-traumatic arthritis stemming from a car crash that injured his leg in February 2021.
According to the announcement, Woods is currently in recovery, and the procedure was determined “to be successful.”
— Tiger Woods (@TigerWoods) April 19, 2023
“He’s resting now and will start the recovery process,” Mark Steinberg, his agent at Excel Sports, added in a conservation with the Associated Press.
The 2023 Masters Tournament marked Woods’ 25th time at the event.
During the competition, he told reporters that his leg remained “sore” after the first round and that he was dealing with “constant” right leg pain.
Tiger Woods of the United States reacts on the eighth green during the first round of the 2023 Masters Tournament at Augusta National Golf Club on April 06, 2023 in Augusta, Georgia.
“Hopping on the left leg is fine,” the father of two added. “If I did it on the other one, not so fine.”
Having won the Masters five times throughout his legendary career, he spoke with reporters ahead of this December’s Hero World Challenge tournament to share that he may be nearing retirement.
“The goal is to play just the major championships and maybe one or two more. That’s it,” Woods told reporters, per Yahoo Sports. “I mean, that’s physically, that’s all I can do,” he added.
Woods said he “didn’t expect to play three majors this year” and was hopeful he’d just get to compete in the British Open. “But I was able to get two more in there, so that was a big positive.”
“I like playing, I like competing,” said Woods, “but unfortunately — I can hit the golf ball and hit whatever shot you want — I just can’t walk.”
