By Caleb Bailey, Sports Editor
Early last week, it was reported that legendary golfer Tiger Woods would have a second surgery on his
back in less than two years. The superstar PGA champion will now miss the rest of the golf season and he
hopes to return to the course in early 2016.
Woods, whose professional career began in 1996, had his first surgery in March of 2014. He has never
really been the same since.
Following his first surgery, Woods has finished in the Top Ten of a PGA event only once and has not
finished better than seventh. After finishing second and first in the money earnings list in 2012 and 2013,
the last two seasons, Woods has finished 201st and 162nd in 2014 and 2015.
That’s a huge blow and also means that Woods has yet to be able to bring home a big check from an
event. So what does this mean for the future of Woods when it comes to the PGA Tour?
Woods has not been the same ever since the cheating scandal became public in 2009. That coupled with
Woods losing the number one ranking, a spot he hasn’t held in sixty-eight weeks, even caused EA Sports
to end their relationship with him as the face for the PGA Tour video game franchise.
Woods told his website that he is upset with how everything has turned out for him in recent years. He
talked about how he hopes to get back on the course as soon as possible.
“This is certainly disappointing, but I’m a fighter,” Woods said. “I’ve been told I can make a full recovery,
and I have no doubt that I will.”
He also sent his apologies to Frys and the America’s Golf Cup, who are both hosting two events he was
scheduled to be a part of in coming weeks.
“I’d like to send my regrets to Frys and all those associated with the America’s Golf Cup,” Woods said.
“Those were two events I was really looking forward to playing. I was ready to start the 2015-16 PGA
TOUR season at Frys, and I was excited to join my good friend Matt [Kuchar] in Mexico City.”
“I will be attending my foundation-hosted Hero World Challenge but won’t be able to play. I appreciate
everything that Hero does for the Tiger Woods Foundation, and I have a great personal relationship with
Mr. Munjal [vice chairman and CEO of Hero MotoCorp]. I look forward to being there to support my
event.”
While Woods’s career may be close to the end of its run, there has got to be some fight left in the golfer
who will be forty in late December. Many others may be ready to see him call it quits, but there are still a
few more good rounds in Tiger and I personally can’t wait to see how he ends the last chapter in his
storybook career.
