Tiger Woods undergoes surgery after sad Masters exit

Tiger Woods had right ankle surgery on Wednesday at the Hospital for Special Surgery in Manhattan, less than two weeks after his injured right leg forced him to leave the Masters before the completion of the third round.

A statement on Woods’ Twitter account read, “Earlier today, Tiger underwent a subtalar fusion procedure to address his post-traumatic arthritis from his previous talus fracture.”

Dr. Martin O’Malley of the HSS Sports Medicine Institute in New York City carried out the procedure. He’s concluded that the surgery went well. Tiger is in the process of getting better and is eager to start his recovery.

“He’s resting now and will start the recovery process,” Mark Steinberg, his agent at Excel Sports, said in a telephone interview with the Associated Press.

As for when Woods could return to playing golf, Steinberg said there was “no timetable on this.

“The first goal is to recover and lead a much more enjoyable day-to-day life,” he said

During Saturday’s soggy third round of the Masters, Woods was clearly having difficulty walking, and play was stopped before the round was over.

Woods, who had just about made the cut, withdrew Sunday morning.

When Woods’ SUV smashed off a suburban coastal Los Angeles road in February 2021 at around 85 mph and rolled down the side of a hill, he broke many bones in his right leg and ankle.

According to Woods, the injuries were so bad that the doctors considered amputation.

The vehicle incident resulted in many leg surgeries for the 47-year-old, who made a comeback at the 2022 Masters.

The average recovery time following subtalar fusion is eight to twelve weeks. That virtually eliminated the possibility of Woods competing in the PGA Championship next month, which is expected to take place at Oak Hill in Rochester, New York, in likely-to-be-cold weather.