Another day, another Tiger Woods injury. Once a dominant force on the course, it is far from reality now. As per the latest update, the 82x PGA Tour winner has undergone his seventh back surgery to address a collapsed disc discovered during recent scans.

“After experiencing pain and lack of mobility in my back, I consulted with doctors and surgeons to have tests taken,” Woods wrote on social media. “The scans determined that I had a collapsed disc in L4/5, disc fragments, and a compromised spinal canal. I opted to have my disc replaced yesterday, and I already know I made a good decision for my health and my back.”

The procedure required a lumbar disc replacement. For the past few years, Woods has gotten more injuries and surgeries than trophies in his cabinet. Now, fans think Tiger shall hang the clubs. For his good health. Some couldn’t help with wonder how golf would be if Tiger had stayed in his optimal health.

“What could’ve been. 25 majors? 30 without injuries. Pushed his body to the absolute limit to reach a peak the game will never see again,” noted a fan.

For years, Woods has been an undeniable force. He changed the trajectory of modern era golf, coming second best after Jack Nicklaus (18 majors). And if not for these health setbacks, he surely would have surpassed Nicklaus.

It all may have started with his near-fatal car accident in early 2021. Doctors had feared that Woods would lose part of his lower leg, but constant gymming and relentless rehab sessions kept him on his toes. Are those the reasons he is stuck on number 15? Fans wonder the same.

Another fan posed a similar question: “Honest question: does Tiger not have ANYONE, not ONE person that can step in here and say, ‘Hey, maybe we should rethink this golf stuff and just focus on having a healthy life?’All these surgeries ain’t it. Insanity.”

Just last year, in September, Woods underwent microdecompression surgery of the lumbar spine to treat nerve impingement and chronic back spasms. Before that came a string of procedures dating back to his first microdiscectomy in 2014, which makes it six previous back surgeries in total.

The fandom remembers his glorious 2019 Masters win not just because of the extraordinary comeback but also because of the spinal fusion he’d undergone just two years earlier. “Time to call it. Can’t keep putting himself through this. The greatest golfer of all time,” one noted.

Others have several advice on what Woods should focus on now. “Once you hit the ‘replacing discs in your back’ part of the career, I feel like it’s time to hit the beach and leave the clubs for the kids to swing,” one said rather jokingly. Another fan said the same: “Focus on coaching Charlie and swimming in the pools of money you’ve earned. Nothing left to prove.”

Those who have witnessed Woods in his prime truly know what a force to be reckoned with he was on the course. His game was art, and you just couldn’t take your eyes off him. Honestly, no one would blame them at this point. Every single time fans hoped for a Tiger Woods comeback, they got a health update marring any future hope. Just a few weeks ago, Woods looked fine like ever, swinging his club, in his tight t-shirt, complementing his buffed body. Fans thought that we would finally have something, if not anything. But, no, more wait is in line.

Time to call it for Tiger Woods?

We are saying this because even though the surgery was successful, Woods did not provide a timeline for his recovery or potential return. This was already speculated a few days back when his name was missing from the list of players competing in the Hero World Challenge. And, fans by now, are familiar with this uncertainty.

For much of this year, Woods has been sidelined after rupturing his Achilles tendon in March. Mind you, this was a separate injury that had ruled him out of the season long before his back flared up again. For him, these setbacks have almost become cyclical at this point, and it is concerning.

His performance is another story that adds to this. Since finishing tied for ninth at the 2020 Farmers Insurance Open, his best finish in 18 official events has been a tie for 37th at the PGA Championship that same year. In the last 14 majors since his 2019 Masters victory, he has failed to place in the top 20. This is the longest such drought since the earliest days of his career. His 2023 and 2024 seasons were particularly sparse, marked by early withdrawals, missed cuts, and so on.

And that hasn’t been all. This same year, Woods had to withdraw from the Genesis Invitational as he lost his mother and took the wise decision not to play. Then came the ruptured Achilles, and now the back.

Woods has earned a lot in his career. And yes, for us, we would have wanted him to be on the course more, collecting a few more majors or trophies. But never at the risk of his physical health. And it is not like he does not have any other job left to occupy. Charlie Woods is coming up as a strong amateur — he recently won the Team TaylorMade Invitational in May 2025, which was his first American Junior Golf Association (AJGA) title — and Woods can focus on training his son more. He has also taken up several executive jobs within the PGA Tour, so there is that. The point is, the time for Tiger Woods has likely come, and he probably should listen to his fans, especially his body.