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Tiger Woods on missing the Masters, surgery recovery: 'I want to play professional golf again'

Published May. 24, 2017 2:53 p.m. ET

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Allyssa Lee

There's no doubt in Tiger Woods' mind that he wants to play professional golf again. The timeline for his return, however, is not so certain.

The former world No. 1 spoke about his withdrawal from the Masters, subsequent back surgery, and his plans to return to competition in a blog post published on TigerWoods.com Wednesday.

"I could no longer live with the pain I had," Woods said about his decision to undergo fusion surgery on his back — his fourth back procedure since April 2014. "We tried every possible non-surgical route and nothing worked. I had good days and bad days, but the pain was usually there, and I couldn’t do much. Even lying down hurt. I had nerve pain with anything I did and was at the end of my rope. ..."

Ultimately, the pain was so great that it forced Woods to withdraw from April's Masters tournament.

"I did everything I could to play at Augusta and was ready to go. Unfortunately, it was kind of like the 2008 U.S. Open. The pain was post-impact when I swung the club," Woods continued. "I figured, ‘Can I handle it?’ This time the answer was, ‘probably not.’ That shows the effect nerve pain can have.

"Obviously, it was a huge disappointment not to play. I hate to miss any major, especially the Masters, but the reality is I just couldn’t play."

The four-time Masters winner went on to say his surgery was a success: "It was instant nerve relief. I haven't felt this good in years," he said, adding that he fully intends to return to competition: "I want to say unequivocally, I want to play professional golf again."

Though the timeline for his return is still pending.

"As for returning to competitive golf, the long-term prognosis is positive," Woods wrote. "My surgeon and physiotherapist say the operation was successful. It’s just a matter of not screwing up and letting it fuse. I’m walking and doing my exercises, and taking my kids to and from school. All I can do is take it day by day. There’s no hurry. ...

"Presently, I’m not looking ahead. I can’t twist for another two and a half to three months. Right now, my sole focus is rehab and doing what the doctors tell me. I am concentrating on short-term goals. ...

"There’s a long way to go, but as I said, words cannot convey how good it feels to be pain-free."

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