Tiger Woods: Injuries That Have Had the Most Impact on His Career
Although he's a paragon of both fitness and relentless determination, Tiger Woods' career has been plagued by injury and missed time.
Before he even made it to the tour, Woods had a benign tumor removed from his left knee in 1994 while he was a student at Stanford. The left knee has been his Achilles' heel throughout his career (although he's had his share of Achilles issues, too).
Recently, the former world No. 1 had had a spate of back troubles, which essentially made 2013-2014 a lost season for the golfer.
We'll take a look at the injuries and resultant surgeries Woods has had throughout his career, how many majors he missed and how those injuries impacted his career.
ACL Issues, Left Knee: 2002
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When: December 2002
Injury: Surgery to remove a cyst from his left knee. Fluid drained from around the ACL.
Tournaments missed: 2
Majors missed: 0
Severity: While Woods missed nearly two months following the surgery, he won his first event after his return (2003 Buick Invitational). Thus, there were no apparent lingering effects, though it was the second surgery on his left knee at that point.
Ruptured Left ACL: 2007
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When: July 2007
Injury: Ruptured left anterior cruciate ligament. Sustained while running at home following the 2007 Open Championship.
Tournaments missed: 0
Majors missed: 0
Severity: A ruptured ACL is a significant injury. However, as Woods did not have his left knee operated on until April of 2008 for other issues, the ACL injury itself can't be taken as profoundly significant. Fortunately, it didn't directly lead to any missed tournaments, and he won events immediately following the injury.
Cartilage Damage, Left Knee: 2008
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When: April 2008
Injury: Cartilage damage, left knee. Woods had arthroscopic surgery following the Masters and didn't tee it up again until the U.S. Open, where it was later revealed he was dealing with even more significant left leg issues.
Tournaments missed: 3
Majors missed: 0
Severity: Ah, the left knee. The bane of Woods' existence through the late 2000s, Woods' cartilage damage and resultant surgery led to three missed starts.
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Multiple Left-Leg Issues: 2008
4 of 12When: June 2008
Injury: Double stress fracture, left leg. Torn left ACL and cartilage damage in his left knee. Woods had surgery following his impossibly gritty U.S. Open win at Torrey Pines.
Tournaments missed: 7
Majors missed: 1
Severity: Seven missed tournaments including a major is severe. Multiple leg issues and an umpteenth knee surgery make this injury one of the most impactful on Woods' career.
Torn Right Achilles Tendon: 2008-2009
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When: Some time in 2008
Injury: Torn right Achilles tendon
Tournaments missed: 0
Majors missed: 0
Severity: Similar to the ruptured left Achilles Woods suffered in 2007 following the Open Championship, the stubborn and determined golfer played through the injury. Still, it's impossible to think the injury didn't have some adverse effect on his golf swing.
Inflamed Neck Joint: 2010
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When: May 2010
Injury: Inflamed facet joint in the neck. Woods withdrew from the final round of The Players Championship citing pain in his neck.
Tournaments missed: 1 (Counting the withdrawal at The Players here)
Majors missed: 0
Severity: The neck injury forced him to withdraw from a tournament and hampered his performance prior to The Players.
Left Knee Issues: 2011
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When: April 2011
Injury: Strained left Achilles tendon, sprained left MCL. Woods sustained some damage to his oft-injured and much surgically repaired left knee after an awkward shot from the pine straw beneath the Eisenhower tree at the Masters.
Tournaments missed: 1
Majors missed: 0
Severity: This injury was part of a pattern of left Achilles issues that would severely hinder Woods' career.
Left Knee Sprain, Achilles Strain: 2011
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When: May 2011
Injury: Knee, Achilles issues. The Eisenhower pine-induced injury that plagued him in 2010 reared its head again at The 2011 Players Championship. Woods withdrew after nine holes, saying, per Golf.com: "The knee acted up, and then the Achilles followed after that, and then the calf started cramping up. Everything started getting tight."
Tournaments missed: 5
Majors missed: 2
Severity: Two missed majors. Other injuries required Woods to miss more time and endure surgery. This injury cost him two appearances in major championships, which are the tournaments Woods most wants to play in and win. A hefty price to pay.
Left Achilles Issues: 2012
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When: March 2012
Injury: Left Achilles tendon injury. Woods withdrew from the WGC-Cadillac Championship a little more than halfway through his final round after a flare-up of lingering issues with the tendon that plagued him since 2011.
Tournaments missed: 1 (WGC-Cadillac Championship withdrawal included here)
Majors missed: 0
Severity: The mess that is Tiger Woods' left leg caused the golfer further aggravation in 2012, causing him to withdraw from a tourament.
Left Elbow Injury: 2013
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When: June 2013
Injury: Strained left elbow. Following the U.S. Open, Woods said, per USA Today: "'I have been advised to take a few weeks off, rest and undergo treatment." He missed a month but just one tournament.
Tournaments missed: 1
Majors missed: 0
Severity: The strained left elbow is Woods' only documented arm injury. While it was a run-of-the-mill ailment, it was significant enough to cause the golfer to miss time.
Lower Back Issues Part I: 2014
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When: March 2014
Injury: Pinched nerve, microdiscectomy surgery. Woods withdrew from the Honda Classic during the final round with lower back pain. Shortly thereafter, he announced he'd miss the Masters following a surgical procedure to repair the pinched nerve.
Tournaments missed: 6
Majors missed: 2
Severity: Woods' most tournaments missed (six, including two majors) followed back surgery earlier this year. And really, back issues doomed the entirety of Woods 2013-2014 season.
Injury timelines and information were obtained from ESPN and Golf Channel.
Stats and tournament dates via PGATour.com.
Lower Back Issues Part II: 2014
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When: August 2014
Injury: (Repeatedly) dislodged sacrum. Woods suffered the injury on the second hole of the final round of the WGC-Bridgestone Invitational and later withdrew. He reaggravated the injury the next week at the PGA Championship.
Tournaments missed: 5 (WGC-Bridgestone Invitational withdrawal included)
Majors missed: 0
Severity: Woods missed five tournaments last year when he shut it down following the PGA Championship. The injury seemed to be the result of weak back muscles, the product of disuse after his microdiscectomy. Five tournaments missed (including the FedEx Cup Playoffs) is significant.
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