Tiger Woods has had more than 15 surgeries since 2008, affecting his knees, back, legs, neck, and ankles. In February 2021, a near-fatal car accident shattered both legs and nearly ended his PGA Tour career. In March 2026, two weeks before the Masters, he was involved in a fourth car accident when his Land Rover rolled over near Augusta. The question facing golf right now is not just whether he can play Augusta — it is whether he is okay.
Tiger is tied with Sam Snead for the most PGA Tour wins ever, with 82. He holds 15 Major Championship titles, second only to Jack Nicklaus at 18. His popularity sparked the “Tiger Boom” in the early 2000s, and he still moves the needle in golf more than anyone else alive. The injuries, though, have never stopped coming.
Whether it was his 2008 US Open win on a broken leg or his 2019 Masters comeback at Augusta, Tiger has always found a way. His journey has been the stuff of legend — and the story is not over yet.
Tiger Woods’ Complete Injury Timeline
There may not be another elite athlete in sports history who has spent more time under the knife than Tiger Woods. The fact that he still shares the record for most PGA Tour wins is a testament to what he was at his peak. Without the injuries, those records would be untouchable.
His most significant injury categories include:
- Major and recurring back issues, including five separate back surgeries
- A torn ACL and multiple knee procedures
- A broken left tibia played through at the 2008 US Open
- Neck injuries and oblique strains
- Achilles tendon damage
- Near-fatal open fractures to both legs from his 2021 car crash
- Plantar fasciitis and ongoing ankle complications, including a subtalar fusion procedure
- A fourth car accident in March 2026, two weeks before Augusta
Injury Summary by Body Part
| Body Part | Key Injuries and Surgeries | Years Affected |
|---|---|---|
| Knee | Torn ACL, cartilage repair, sprained MCL, multiple procedures | 2008, 2011, 2019 |
| Back | Collapsed disc, nerve impingement, microdiscectomy (x3), damaged disc removal, disc fragment | 2014, 2015, 2017, 2020 |
| Leg and Ankle | Open fractures (both legs), fibula damage, rod and pins inserted, screw complication, subtalar fusion, lost calf muscle | 2021, 2022, 2024 |
| Foot | Plantar fasciitis, previous talus fracture complications, post-traumatic arthritis | 2022, 2024 |
| Neck and Other | Inflamed facet joint, neck strain, Achilles trauma, oblique strain, elbow strain | 2010, 2011, 2012, 2013, 2019 |
Year-by-Year Breakdown
- April 2008: Tiger has arthroscopic surgery to repair cartilage in his left knee. The procedure addresses damage that has been causing discomfort throughout the early part of the season.
- June 2008: With two stress fractures in his left tibia, Woods plays through the pain and wins the US Open at Torrey Pines in a Monday playoff. He takes nine months off afterward to recover. It is one of the most remarkable physical feats in major championship history.
- May 2010: An inflamed facet joint in his neck forces Tiger to withdraw from The Players Championship.
- April to May 2011: A sprained MCL in his left knee and a strained left Achilles tendon force Woods to withdraw from both the Wells Fargo Championship and The Players Championship after just nine holes.
- March 2012: An Achilles tendon injury forces Tiger to withdraw from the WGC-Cadillac Championship on the back nine on Sunday.
- June 2013: A mild strain in his elbow ends his tournament at the AT&T National.
- August 2013: Back spasms drop Tiger to the ground during the final round of the Barclays. He finishes second but is photographed on all fours on the course.
- March 2014: Lower back spasms force Woods to withdraw from the Honda Classic during the final round.
- April 2014: Tiger misses the Masters at Augusta for the first time in his career following surgery for a pinched nerve. His neurosurgeon determines the procedure cannot wait. Woods had been managing the discomfort for months before the nerve impingement became unmanageable.
- August 2014: Woods withdraws from the WGC-Bridgestone Invitational on the front nine of the final round. He is driven off the course in visible and serious pain, pointing to what will become a years-long spinal crisis.
- February 2015: Tiger withdraws from the Farmers Insurance Open with back pain. He says later: “My glutes are just shutting off.” The lack of mobility in his lower back is now affecting how his entire body functions through the swing.
- September 2015: Tiger undergoes his second back surgery, a microdiscectomy to address a collapsed disc pressing on spinal nerves.
- October 2015: Just weeks after the second back surgery, he has an additional procedure to address ongoing nerve impingement and pain.
- February 2017: Back spasms cause Tiger to withdraw from the Dubai Desert Classic. His world ranking falls to 666.
- April 2017: Tiger has a fifth back surgery to remove a damaged disc and relieve pain radiating into his leg. His neurosurgeon performs a spinal fusion to stabilize the affected vertebrae. Woods’ agent confirms afterward that this is the procedure Tiger had been resisting for years.
- November 2017: After more than a year away from competitive golf, Woods returns at the Hero World Challenge.
- September 2018: Tiger wins the Tour Championship, completing one of the great comeback arcs in professional sports.
- March 2019: A neck strain forces Woods to withdraw from the Arnold Palmer Invitational.
- April 2019: Tiger wins the Masters at Augusta for the fifth time and claims his 15th Major Championship. It is widely considered one of the greatest comebacks in all of sports.
- August 2019: A mild strain in his oblique forces Woods to withdraw from the Northern Trust after the first round.
- August 2019: Tiger has a procedure to repair minor cartilage damage in his left knee. Later that October, he wins his 82nd PGA Tour event at the Zozo Championship, tying Sam Snead for the all-time record.
- March 2020: Back stiffness causes Tiger to withdraw from the Arnold Palmer Invitational and The Players Championship. The COVID-19 pandemic then disrupts the remainder of the Tour season.
- December 2020: Playing alongside his son Charlie at the PNC Championship in Florida, Tiger experiences severe nerve pain stemming from a disc fragment pressing on his spinal cord. He undergoes a microdiscectomy procedure later that month. It is his third procedure of this type and his sixth back surgery overall.
- February 23, 2021: Tiger is involved in a single-car rollover accident in Los Angeles. First responders use the jaws of life to extract him from the vehicle. He suffers open fractures in both legs, with the right leg sustaining the worst damage. Surgeons insert a rod into his tibia and use screws and pins to stabilize the bones in his ankle and foot. The fibula in his right leg is also fractured. At the worst point, the medical team discusses amputation. It is the defining crisis of his career.
- December 2021: Tiger returns to competition at the PNC Championship in Florida alongside Charlie. The two finish second behind John Daly and his son.
- April 2022: Tiger makes the cut at Augusta for the Masters in his first major appearance since the accident. He is in visible discomfort over the weekend rounds, compensating for the lack of mobility in his reconstructed right leg.
- May 2022: Woods makes the cut at the PGA Championship but withdraws during the weekend rounds. It is later reported by Jason Day that a screw from the reconstructive surgery on Tiger’s right ankle had worked through the bone during the tournament, causing acute pain with every step.
- December 2022: Plantar fasciitis in Tiger’s foot, aggravated by a previous talus fracture and resulting post-traumatic arthritis, forces him out of the Hero World Challenge. He does compete with Charlie at the PNC Championship later that month.
- April 2024: Tiger makes the cut at Augusta for the 23rd consecutive time, tying Gary Player and Fred Couples for the record. Brutal weather conditions force him to complete his second and third rounds in a single day. The physical demand is too much and he withdraws. Later in April, he undergoes a subtalar fusion procedure to address post-traumatic arthritis and ongoing ankle instability — a direct consequence of the 2021 crash and a previous talus fracture. Woods’ agent confirms the procedure and its recovery timeline.
- May 2024: Tiger misses the PGA Championship while recovering from the subtalar fusion. The procedure requires an extended non-weight-bearing recovery period that rules out competitive play for months.
- March 2026: Two weeks before the Masters at Augusta, Tiger’s Land Rover rolls over in a single-car accident. He climbs out through the passenger window. A roadside breathalyzer test comes back clean, but Tiger declines to provide a urine sample when asked by officers. He is taken into custody and released hours later with no charges filed at time of publication. Woods’ agent has not issued a statement on his Masters status. It is his fourth car accident. Full details here.
Tiger Woods’ Biggest Comebacks from Injury
What Tiger did at the 2018 Tour Championship was extraordinary on its own. At the time, many in golf had quietly written him off as a competitive force. He had spent years shuttling between operating tables and rehabilitation clinics, his lack of mobility forcing him to rebuild his swing mechanics from scratch after each procedure. His world ranking fell to 1,199. Winning again felt almost impossible.
Then came April 2019. Tiger won the Masters at Augusta for the fifth time. He claimed his 15th Major Championship in one of the most watched sporting moments of the decade. Players cried on the bag. His son and daughter ran onto the 18th green. It stands as one of the most emotional finishes in the history of the game.
The greatest physical comeback, though, is the 2021 crash and everything that followed. When the jaws of life are involved and doctors are discussing amputation, playing golf again is not a given. Tiger played the Masters in 2022. He made the cut. The fact he was walking Augusta National’s fairways less than 14 months after suffering open fractures in both legs is still difficult to fully absorb.
The 2021 Car Accident: A Career-Defining Crisis
What Happened
On February 23, 2021, Tiger Woods was driving alone in Los Angeles when his SUV crossed a median, rolled, and came to rest significantly damaged off the road. First responders used the jaws of life to remove him from the vehicle. His injuries were severe: open fractures in both legs, with the right leg sustaining the most damage. The fibula was also fractured. Surgeons inserted a rod into his tibia and used screws and pins to stabilize the bones in his ankle and foot. The reconstructive surgery required to save the limb was extensive and carried significant risk.
At the worst point, the medical team discussed the possibility of amputating his right leg to save his life. Tiger has said that was a real conversation. He chose to fight for the leg, and he kept it. His neurosurgeon later described the damage to the bones and soft tissue as among the most severe survivable lower-leg injuries the team had treated.
The Recovery
Recovery was slow and genuinely uncertain. Significant welling around the fracture sites complicated early healing and extended the timeline. Tiger said later that his son Charlie was one of his primary motivations for pushing through rehabilitation. He returned to public view at the 2021 PNC Championship in Florida, riding a cart alongside Charlie rather than walking the course.
When he walked Augusta National in April 2022, it became clear how much tissue damage the crash had caused. Tiger lost nearly half of his right calf muscle during the reconstructive surgery required to save the leg. Every step on an uneven fairway or steep slope forces his body to compensate in ways it was not designed to do. Post-traumatic arthritis developed in the ankle joint over the following years, compounding the complications from a previous talus fracture that predated the crash.
The subtalar fusion procedure he underwent in 2024 was a direct consequence of that accumulated damage. He has continued to compete through all of it. That alone is worth something.
The March 2026 Accident: What We Know
Tiger’s Land Rover rolled over in March 2026, less than two weeks before the Masters at Augusta. He was not injured seriously enough to require hospitalization and was able to climb out of the vehicle himself. A breathalyzer test at the scene came back clean.
Tiger declined to provide a urine sample when requested by officers. He was taken into custody and released a few hours later. No charges had been filed at the time this article was updated. Woods’ agent had not publicly addressed the incident or his Masters status.
This is his fourth car accident. The 2009 fire hydrant incident outside his Florida home, the 2017 DUI arrest in Florida, and the 2021 rollover in Los Angeles are all part of the record now. The timing of this one, with Augusta two weeks away, puts it in a different category in terms of what it means for his near-term future in the sport.
Whether Tiger tees it up at Augusta, withdraws citing accident-related discomfort, or takes a different path entirely remains genuinely uncertain.
Is Tiger Woods Playing the 2026 Masters?
As of March 31, 2026, Tiger has not confirmed or withdrawn from Augusta. Woods’ agent has not issued a statement and the Masters begins in approximately two weeks.
If he plays, the story shifts to golf. If he withdraws citing injuries or discomfort from the accident, the questions about the declined drug test continue. If he steps away entirely, that is a different conversation altogether.
Watch for his practice round appearance at Augusta as the clearest signal. If Tiger is walking the course in the days before the tournament, he is playing.
What Tiger Woods Has Meant to the Game
The debate over whether Tiger is the greatest of all time runs alongside the debate over what his PGA Tour career could have been without the injuries. He is tied with Sam Snead at 82 wins. He is second to Jack Nicklaus at 15 Majors. Without the back surgeries, the car accidents, the knee procedures, and the years lost to rehabilitation and lack of mobility, those numbers look very different.
What is not debatable is the size of his influence. The Tiger Boom of the early 2000s brought a generation into the sport. Television ratings and tournament purses both moved when his name was on a leaderboard. That is still true in 2026, even when the news is not about golf.
The loyalty of golf fans toward Tiger Woods through each chapter of this story — the injuries, the personal collapse, the DUI, the criminal incidents, the comebacks — is unlike anything the sport has produced before. Most of them are still rooting for him. The hope is that someone around him is asking whether he is okay, not just whether he will make the cut at Augusta.
Frequently Asked Questions
How many surgeries has Tiger Woods had in his career?
Tiger Woods has had more than 15 surgeries since 2008, affecting his knees, back, legs, ankles, and foot. His back alone has required multiple procedures including microdiscectomies, a spinal fusion, and disc removal. His ankle required a subtalar fusion procedure in 2024 to address post-traumatic arthritis caused by the 2021 crash and a previous talus fracture.
What injuries did Tiger Woods suffer in his 2021 car accident?
Tiger suffered open fractures in both legs, with the right leg sustaining the most severe damage. The fibula was also fractured. Surgeons inserted a rod into his tibia and used screws and pins to stabilize the bones. His neurosurgeon described the damage as among the most severe survivable lower-leg injuries the team had treated. Tiger also lost nearly half his right calf muscle during the reconstructive surgery required to save the limb, and developed post-traumatic arthritis in the ankle joint in the years that followed.
What happened in Tiger Woods’ 2026 car accident?
In March 2026, two weeks before the Masters at Augusta, Tiger’s Land Rover rolled over in a single-car accident. He climbed out through the passenger window. A roadside breathalyzer test came back clean, but Tiger declined to provide a urine sample when asked by officers. He was taken into custody and released hours later with no charges filed at time of publication. Woods’ agent had not commented publicly. It is his fourth car accident.
Is Tiger Woods playing the 2026 Masters?
As of March 31, 2026, Tiger has not confirmed his participation or officially withdrawn from Augusta. No formal statement has been issued by Woods’ agent. His status remains uncertain following his March 2026 car accident.
Which injury has been the most damaging to Tiger Woods’ PGA Tour career?
His back issues have cost him the most competitive time, spanning from 2014 through 2017 and requiring five separate procedures. However, the 2021 car accident was the most physically severe event of his career, producing open fractures, fibula damage, and long-term post-traumatic arthritis that has required additional reconstructive surgery and a subtalar fusion procedure years later.
How did Tiger Woods win the 2008 US Open on a broken leg?
Tiger played the 2008 US Open at Torrey Pines with two stress fractures in his left tibia and a recently repaired knee, managing the discomfort across four rounds and a Monday playoff before winning. He then took nine months off for surgery and recovery. It remains one of the most physically extraordinary performances in major championship history.
What is wrong with Tiger Woods’ right leg?
Tiger’s right leg was severely damaged in the 2021 car accident, with open fractures to the tibia and fibula requiring a rod and pins for reconstruction. He lost nearly half his right calf muscle during the procedures to save the limb. A previous talus fracture and developing post-traumatic arthritis led to a subtalar fusion procedure in 2024. A screw from the original reconstructive surgery also worked through the ankle bone during the 2022 PGA Championship. The leg has never returned to full function.
How many car accidents has Tiger Woods been involved in?
Tiger has been involved in four car accidents: the 2009 fire hydrant incident outside his Florida home, a 2017 DUI arrest in Florida, the 2021 Los Angeles rollover that nearly cost him his leg, and the March 2026 rollover two weeks before the Masters at Augusta in which his Land Rover ended up on its side.
Brendon is Class A PGA Professional and founded Little Linksters, LLC, and its nonprofit arm, the Little Linksters Association for Junior Golf Development. He won 25+ prestigious industry honors, including the 2017 PGA National Youth Player Development Award. He graduated from the PGA of America Management Program and has a handicap index of 7.8.
He has played golf for over 40 years and currently plays twice a month at the Eagle Dunes Golf Club near Sorrento, Florida. He loves Srixon clubs and plays a ZX5 driver with Z 585 irons. He's written over 60 articles on GolfSpan and specializes in sharing tips to improve your golf game. You can connect with Brendon at LinkedIn, X, IG, FB, his website, or BrendonElliott@pga.com.
