Report: Tiger Woods’ condition post-surgery has worsened
If you got your hopes up that we’d see Tiger Woods at the Masters in April, then a new report might squelch them.
Golf journalist Robert Lusetich, formerly of Fox Sports, reported Monday that Tiger Woods’ condition has worsened since a pair of back surgeries in Fall 2015.
The information is similar in nature to what was shared over the weekend by an anonymous Twitter account dubbed the Secret Tour Pro, which claims to be controlled by a top-tier professional golfer. The person behind this account routinely shares information regarding open rumors and secrets in professional golf.
There was reason to doubt this narrative. The account has been wrong about Woods matters in the past, saying last summer that the 14-time major winner had fired instructor Chris Como around the Quicken Loans National. A day after the rumor began to spread because of a Secret Tour Pro tweet, Como showed up on the range at the tournament to work with Woods.
The account also tweeted a photo in December saying a source claimed it was proof Woods was working on his game on the range at Bear’s Club in Jupiter, Fla. It turned out to be an old photo of Woods ahead of a pro-am event for The Honda Classic.
This time, the account has information that jibes with what a journalist has put forth.
ESPN.com writer Bob Harig, who has reportedly extensively on Woods and has a strong relationship with the 79-time PGA Tour winner, denies the veracity of these reports.
Woods underwent a second microdiscectomy in September 2015 in the same region where he first had the procedure done in March 2014. Woods rushed back to compete in the 2014 Quicken Loans National, fared poorly and ultimately found a new swing instructor in Como. The struggles continued in 2015, as Woods shot his career-worst round twice on the PGA Tour. However, he ended the season on a high note, with a T-10 finish at the Wyndham Championship in a last-ditch effort to qualify for the FedEx Cup playoffs.
That week in Greensboro, N.C., Woods complained of pain related to his hip. After his season ended, Woods went to visit his surgeon in Utah and learned the source of the pain was again his back. He chose to have surgery. The procedure was not a success, however, requiring a clean-up procedure a month later.
At his Hero World Challenge in December, Woods said he had no timetable for his return and that the only thing he was physically able to do is walk. He hadn’t formally started rehab then, and it appears, two months later, he’s no closer to whatever level of functionality he could consider a recovery.
Ryan Ballengee is a Yahoo Sports contributor. Find him on Facebook and Twitter.
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