Rory McIlroy Unsure If Tiger Woods Will Return to the Top After Latest Setback

BELEK, TURKEY — Tiger Woods has undergone another back operation, and Rory McIlroy is unsure if the 14-time major winner will ever return to the top of golf.

Woods was the dominant force in the game for well over a decade, but he has not won a major since 2008 and is now down at 351st in the world rankings.

The former world No. 1 has repeatedly insisted he will return to contend at the summit of the sport, but he has recorded just one top-10 finish in 2015 and looks a shadow of his former self.

Any prospects of a rapid return to form in 2016 have been dashed by the news he has had another bout of surgery.

Golf has been robbed of a potential rivalry between McIlroy and Woods, and the former doubts whether the most successful player in the current era can get back on track.

"I think any time you hurt your back it is tough," McIlroy said after the third round of the Turkish Airlines Open. "He obviously needed [surgery], but it is a long road to recovery for him."

While Woods has spoken of his confidence he will get back on track, McIlroy feels the first goal should be to focus on functioning away from the golf course.

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"I hope he gets better, not just to play golf but just to function in everyday life. It is not good to see," McIlroy said. "That is his third back surgery in a year-and-a-half.

"Someone once said the best way to avoid your fifth back surgery is not to have the first one.

"It's a procedure he needed, and it's tough, but I just hope he gets better."

While it was evident McIlroy does not know whether Woods will return to a position of dominance in the sport, he has not ruled it out happening.

"He has overcome things before, so I would not put it past him, but it's a long road ahead," McIlroy said.

Despite his struggles on the course, Woods is still the most prominent figure in the game. However, McIlroy is in no doubt the game will not wilt away if the 39-year-old fails to return to its pinnacle.

"He is missed by the game of golf in general," McIlroy said. "We are so lucky and so privileged to have [had] him spearheading the game for so long.

"I'm not saying the game of golf needs him, but he came along at the right time."