Tiger Woods Shares Positive Update on Injured Ankle, but There's One Issue

Tiger Woods broke his silence about his latest health issues. When speaking to reporters on Tuesday, the golf legend said his right ankle, which was fused in April, is pain-free. However, Woods said the rest of his right leg remains a problem. 

"My ankle is fine. Where they fused my ankle, I have absolutely zero issue whatsoever," Woods said Tuesday, per ESPN. "That pain is completely gone. It's the other areas that have been compensated for." The last time Woods was on a golf course was the 2023 Masters in April. He withdrew from the tournament due to the pain in his ankle. It's not clear when Woods will return to the golf course. 

Woods compared his current issues with the fusion surgery he had on his lower back. He said the L5 and S1 vertebrae are fine. "But all the surrounding areas is where I had all my problems, and I still do," Woods explained. "So you fix one, others have to become more hypermobile to get around it, and it can lead to some issues."

Woods caddied for his son Charlies at the Notah Begay III Junior Golf National Championship, and video footage showed him walking and carrying the bag without a limp. "I'm pretty sore after caddying for four days," Woods said. "It was a flat course, thank God." 

If Woods does return this year, it will likely be at the PNC Championship, a tournament Woods and Charlie played in the last two years. The tournament is sanctioned by the PGA Tour Champions, which means carts are allowed making it easy for Woods to travel from hole to hole. 

The Masters was the only major tournament Woods competed in this year. Last year, the 15-time major champion competed in every major except the U.S. Open in 2022. Woods was involved in a car accident outside Los Angeles in February 2021 and sustained multiple leg injuries. He returned to the golf course in December of that year to play in the PNC Championship. 

"It was an awesome day,'' Woods said at the time. "It was just awesome to be back out here playing. To be out here with my son. We had an absolute blast.'' When asked if he was surprised to be back on the golf course, Woods said: "Yes and no. "If you would have asked me after those three months in the bed, [if] I would be here, I would have given you a different answer. But there are no days off. We worked every day. Even days where I didn't feel very good, we still worked on something. So every day, there was never a day off the entire time other than those three months in bed.''