Tiger Woods' latest heartbreaking injury proves it's time to retire
Generationally great athletes like him rarely know when, let alone how, to walk away. When you've been at the mountaintop for so long, when you've trained yourself to turn every doubt into fuel, when you've won again and again against all odds, why wouldn't you think this can last forever?
Like Tom Brady, Michael Jordan and many GOATs before them, Tiger's brain was never going to accept that it was time to hang it up. Only his body could do that. This week, his body sent him the clearest signal yet: A ruptured Achilles tendon that ended his latest comeback bid before it could even begin.
Woods announced the injury, and subsequent surgery, on Tuesday — just as the world's best golfers were congregating for THE PLAYERS at TPC Sawgrass, where Tiger has won twice and created countless more memories for his fans.
Tiger Woods injury history: Recent ailments including a torn Achilles
Given what we know about his injury history and what it takes to come back from a torn Achilles, that's probably a wrap on the competitive career of Eldrick Woods.
As I began to ramp up my own training and practice at home, I felt a sharp pain in my left Achilles, which was deemed to be ruptured.This morning, Dr. Charlton Stucken of Hospital for Special Surgery in West Palm Beach, Florida performed a minimally-invasive Achilles tendon… pic.twitter.com/KAVZfcRxlE
— Tiger Woods (@TigerWoods) March 11, 2025
The last time we saw Woods in either a PGA Tour or major tournament was when he missed The Open cut at Royal Troon last July. He'll have turned 50 by the time the next PGA season starts. Only four golfers over that age remain on Tour, and that's assuming he's recovered enough to play next March. Even the otherwise healthiest individuals still need a full calendar year to come back from such a grueling rehab.
In Woods' case, this is seventh known surgery he's required in the last 10 years. September saw Woods undergo microdecompression surgery on the lumbar spine to relieve pain in his lower back. He was hoping to make it back in time for THE PLAYERS and even teed it up on Monday this week at the famed Seminole Pro-Member tournament with a few other Tour stalwarts.
That was after Woods admitted it'd been hard getting back into the game following the passing of his mother, Kultida.
"I haven't really gotten into it," Woods told reporters. "My heart is not really into practicing right now. I've had so many other things to do with the tour and trying to do other things."
Maybe he proves everyone wrong one last time. Maybe golf fans of a certain age need to hold onto that hope. But that's all it is at this point. Hope that one day we'll see Woods perform another miracle with a golf ball.
Between the injuries, the mental strain of losing someone so close to his heart and career and, of course, Woods' refusal to use a golf cart even with an exemption, everything is adding up the inevitable. Woods will still enjoy the spotlight because he's still Tiger Woods. He can still play in his TGL league. He can still help the PGA navigate the incredibly rough terrain amid a merger with LIV. He just can't hold up to the rigors of playing on the PGA Tour anymore.
It's time to hang it up, Tiger.
This article originally appeared on For The Win: Tiger Woods' Achilles injury clearest sign it's time to retire
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
NBC Sports
30 minutes ago
- NBC Sports
Marco Penge wins Danish Golf Championship as Rasmus Hojgaard misses big Ryder Cup chance
Relive the best moments from Round 3 of the BMW Championship — the second event of the PGA Tour's FedExCup Playoffs — at Owings Mills, Maryland. COPENHAGEN — Englishman Marco Penge birdied the 18th hole to win the Danish Golf Championship on Sunday by a stroke over Rasmus Hojgaard, who missed a chance to climb into the automatic qualifying positions for Europe's Ryder Cup team. Hojgaard looked on course for the title in his home country when he powered into a four-shot lead midway through his front nine, only to drop four strokes in four holes from No. 10 and allow Penge to take the lead. Penge walked down the par-5 18th with a two-shot cushion over Hojgaard in the final pairing, but saw his competitor roll in an eagle putt from 10 feet to the delight of the crowd at Furesø Golf Klub in Copenhagen. The 97th-ranked Penge needed to hole a birdie putt from 4 feet for the win and he held his nerve to shoot 4-under 67, finish on 16 under for the week and seal a second DP World Tour title. Both victories have come this year, with the first at the Hainan Classic in April. Hojgaard (69) was the runner-up and will remain outside the six automatic qualifying spots, just behind projected No. 6 Shane Lowry and No. 7 Sepp Straka, in the race to get into Europe's team for the Ryder Cup at Bethpage Black next month. There is one qualifying event left for players next week. Hojgaard will play at the British Masters on the European tour and Straka and Lowry are scheduled to play on the PGA Tour at the Tour Championship, which offers more qualifying points.
USA Today
2 hours ago
- USA Today
Daniel Berger withdraws before final round of 2025 BMW Championship with injury
Daniel Berger withdrew from the 2025 BMW Championship on Sunday morning before his final-round tee time. Berger, 32, cited an injury to his finger as the reason that he wouldn't be able to play the last 18 holes of the second leg of the FedEx Cup playoffs. Berger played the first 54 holes at Caves Valley Golf Club in Owings Mills, Maryland, in 2-over 212 after a 72 on Saturday. Berger entered the week at No. 33 in the season-long FedEx Cup points race and needed a good week to jump into the top 30 and advance to East Lake in Atlanta for the Tour Championship. Berger has four career Tour titles but none since the 2021 AT&T Pebble Beach Pro-Am. He was sidelined for 18 months with a back injury but regained full Tour privileges for this season with a T-2 at the 2024 RSM Classic in November and played well enough this season to make the top 50 and will be exempt into all the signature events in 2026. Berger was scheduled to tee off at 10:45 a.m. ET on Sunday. Forty-eight competitors remain in the field. Sepp Straka withdrew ahead of the tournament citing personal reasons.
Yahoo
2 hours ago
- Yahoo
You Won't Believe the Last Time Scottie Scheffler Paid for a Round of Golf
You Won't Believe the Last Time Scottie Scheffler Paid for a Round of Golf originally appeared on Athlon Sports. As the PGA Tour heads toward the FedExCup playoffs, Scottie Scheffler stands atop the leaderboard of professional golf. The 29-year-old American has claimed four major championships (two this year) and secured his grip on the World No. 1 ranking for 151 weeks, an era of dominance that few in the sport can rival. But away from the tournament fairways and leaderboards, Scheffler revealed on Wednesday a slice of life that many fans wouldn't expect from the world's top player. Asked when he last paid for a round, Scheffler joked, "It's been a while. I remember the last time I didn't get to pay for a round…one of my buddies in the pro shop had to pay for a round. That was pretty funny." He recounted walking into a local public course about five years ago, asking his friend at the pro shop to ring him up for tee times. The pro said, "Oh no no, you're good," only to turn to Scheffler's friend and say, "Actually, you gotta pay." Scheffler laughed at the memory, noting that they still tease his friend about footing the bill. Scottie Scheffler's Early PGA Career: From Junior Star to Tour Rookie Scheffler's rise began long before he turned pro in 2018. As a youth, he won 90 of 136 junior events on the Northern Texas PGA circuit and captured the 2013 U.S. Junior Amateur title. At the University of Texas, he helped the Longhorns to Big 12 championships and earned Phil Mickelson Freshman of the Year honors in 2015. On the Korn Ferry Tour in 2019, Scheffler's play propelled him to Player of the Year, Rookie of the Year and Finals points list winner, granting him full PGA Tour status for 2020. He wasted little time making waves as a rookie, finishing fourth on the money list and earning PGA Tour Rookie of the Year. The Scottie Scheffler Breakthrough Year: 2022 and Beyond The 2022 season marked Scheffler's true arrival on golf's biggest stage. In the span of three months, he notched his first PGA Tour victory, ascended to world No. 1, hoisted his first green jacket at the Masters Tournament and won PGA Tour Player of the Year. That breakthrough season included four wins, an astonishing run that made him the first golfer since Arnold Palmer in 1960 (and only the second ever) to win that many events, including the Masters, in that span of time to begin the season. He backed that up by winning The Players Championship in both 2023 and 2024, becoming the first player to secure back-to-back titles at the sport's "fifth major." At the 2024 Paris Olympics, Scheffler added an individual gold medal to his resume and capped the year by clinching the inaugural FedExCup title at East Lake Golf Club. This season, he's won four events: The CJ Cup Byron Nelson, PGA Championship, Memorial Tournament and Open Championship, joining Tiger Woods as the only two players to win the Open Championship while ranked No. 1 in the world. This story was originally reported by Athlon Sports on Aug 6, 2025, where it first appeared.
