Tiger Woods is no stranger to injuries – he won the 2008 U.S. Open with a twice-fractured left leg, for example.

His back problems have derailed his career for the better part of a decade, and in 2017 Woods was unsure if he would ever be able to play again.

There have been surgeries on top of surgeries, mostly to his knees and back.

It’s entirely premature to speculate exactly how his severely broken leg and crushed ankle after Tuesday’s car crash in California will impact any hopes that he returns to golf,

but it is worth looking back at the obstacles Woods has overcome.

Also worth noting, Woods plays his cards very close to the vest, and at times he has been coy about providing private information on injuries or medical procedures.

These injuries listed below – compiled from past Golfweek reporting and media reports such as this one on PGA.com – are just those that are known.

1994

Two benign tumors and scar tissue are removed from his left knee. Woods turned 20 at the end of the month.

2002

Woods has surgery in December to remove fluid inside and outside the ACL and to remove benign cysts from his left knee. He missed a few weeks of competition to start 2003, then won three of his first four events after returning from surgery.

2007

In August, Woods ruptures the ACL in his left knee while running on a golf course at the British Open, but he is able to continue playing in the following weeks and won five of the last six tournaments which he played that season, including the PGA Championship.

2008

In April after the Masters, Woods has surgery on his left knee to repair cartilage damage.

In May, doctors tell him he has two stress fractures in his left tibia.

In June, he wins the U.S. Open on the injured leg – showing noticeable pain – before undergoing surgery to repair his left ACL using a tendon from his right thigh. He then misses eight months of competition.

In December, he injures his right Achilles tendon while jogging. He plays the 2009 season in frequent pain from the continuous injury.

2010

In May he withdraws from the Players Championship, telling reporters he has a bulging disk in his back. Later he said the problem was in his neck and that he had tingling sensations in his right side. It turned out to be an inflamed facet joint in his neck.

2011

In April, Woods injures his left Achilles while taking a stooped swing from under the Eisenhower Tree on No. 17 at Augusta National Golf Club during the Masters.

In May, Woods withdraws from the Players Championship again because of an MCL sprain in his left knee. He’s out two months after this injury.

2012

In March, he withdraws from the Cadillac Championship because of tightness in his left Achilles.

In August, he attributes back pain to a soft mattress in his hotel room and is seen moving stiffly at The Barclays.

2013

In June, an elbow strain knocks him out of two tournaments.

In August, back spasms send him to his knees at The Barclays.

2014

In March, he withdraws from the Honda Classic with back pain and spasms. The pain continues at the Cadillac Championship, and he withdraws from the Arnold Palmer Invitational. At the end of the month, he has surgery on a pinched nerve, which forces him out of the Masters and stops his tournament schedule.

In August, two months after his return to competition, Woods withdraws from the WGC-Bridgestone Invitational with more lower back pain. He returned the next week at the PGA Championship and missed the cut.

2015

In February, Woods withdraws from the Farmers Insurance Open with a back injury. He returns in April for the Masters and finishes T-17.

In April at the Masters, Woods strikes a tree root on a swing, jarring his right arm. “A bone kind of popped out and the joint kind of went out of place, but I put it back in,” Woods said.

In September, Woods has two microdiscectomy surgeries on his back to remove bone fragments that were pinching a nerve.

In October, he has another back surgery with the goal of relieving discomfort, and his golf career is stalled. After nearly 16 months away, Woods completes 72 holes at the Hero World Challenge in December 2016.

2017

In April he has a spinal fusion, his fourth back surgery. This surgery was such a success that he was able to return to golf within a year and start his march back to the top of leaderboards, culminating with his 2019 Masters title.

2019

In March, Woods withdraws from the Arnold Palmer Invitational with a neck strain that was not serious enough to keep him out of the Masters, which he won the following month.

2021

In January, Woods undergoes another back surgery, again a microdiscectomy to remove a bone fragment that was pinching a nerve.

On February 23, the SUV Woods is driving rolls over in California. He is trapped inside before being freed by emergency crews who use an ax to get him out of the vehicle. His right leg and ankle are severely broken, requiring emergency surgery. “Comminuted open fractures affecting both the upper and lower portion of the tibia and fibula bones were stabilized by inserting a rod into the tibia,” said Dr. Anish Mahajan, Chief Medical Officer and Interim CEO at Harbor-UCLA Medical Center. “Additional injuries to the bones of the foot and ankle were stabilized with a combination of screws and pins. Trauma to the muscle and soft-tissue of the leg required surgical release of the covering of the muscles to relieve pressure due to swelling.”

2023

In April, Woods underwent ankle surgery to address post-traumatic arthritis. This came after he withdrew from the 2023 Masters.

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Source: Chicago Tribune