We’ll always wonder how good Muhammad Ali would have been had he not been stripped of his title and barred from boxing for nearly four years in his prime. We’ll always wonder how many more home runs Ted Williams might have hit had he not spent three years serving in the military during World War II and significant parts of two other seasons while fighting in the Korean War. Now, we’ll be left to wonder if Tiger Woods would have ever caught Jack Nicklaus if not for his off-the-course transgressions.
Woods announced on Tuesday he underwent back surgery this week for a pinched nerve and won’t play in the Masters next week. It’s the latest physical ailment that figures to minimize his chances of breaking Nicklaus’ record of winning 18 major championships.
It will be the first time in 20 years Woods will not play at Augusta National.
“After attempting to get ready for the Masters, and failing to make the necessary progress, I decided, in consultation with my doctors, to have this procedure done,” Woods said in a statement released on Tuesday.
“I’d like to express my disappointment to the Augusta National membership, staff, volunteers and patrons that I will not be at the Masters. It’s a week that’s very special to me. It also looks like I’ll be forced to miss several upcoming tournaments to focus on my rehabilitation and getting healthy.”
Woods said he plans to return “sometime in the summer.” The estimated recovery time from this type of surgery is about 4 ¹/₂ months. The U.S. Open is June 12-15 at Pinehurst while the Open Championship at Royal Liverpool is July 17-20.
But gone is yet another chance to win another major and move a step closer to Nicklaus. Perhaps gone is the chance of Woods ever winning 18 majors. He has been stuck on 14 since beating Rocco Mediate in an 18-hole playoff at the 2008 U.S. Open at Torrey Pines. That was before all the revelations in December 2009 of his numerous extramarital affairs put his personal life and his career in a tailspin. Woods went off to sex rehab and stayed out of competition until returning for the 2010 Masters. His lost his sponsorships and his mojo. Under intense scrutiny upon his return, Woods underwent a series of swing changes which at times made him hardly resemble the player who had dominated golf.
I bring this up because Woods hasn’t won a major post-scandal, and his back surgery only underscores how fragile a career can be. Woods should have won one major, maybe two, in 2010. He’s always competitive at the Masters, and owned Pebble Beach, where the U.S. Open was held, and St. Andrews, which hosted the British Open.
But he finished five shots behind Phil Mickelson that year at Augusta; four shots behind winner Graeme McDowell at the U.S. Open; and 13 shots behind Louis Oosthuzein at St. Andrews. Opportunity lost.
Woods has won plenty of Tour events since then, but not a major. Some of it has been bad luck, like at the 15th hole on Saturday at the 2013 Masters when his ball hit the pin, rolled back into the water and he was later assessed a two-stroke penalty for making an improper drop.
More often, Woods just hasn’t been the closer he was pre-scandal, when he always won when he either shared or owned the lead entering the final round. Woods has struggled to even get to that point of late — (he hasn’t reached the top 20 in the past three majors) — and now he’ll have to recover from back surgery.
The microdiscectomy procedure was performed Monday by neurosurgeon Charles Rich in Park City, Utah. Woods, according to the statement, will begin rehabilitation within a week. He brought up his chase of Nicklaus and of Sam Snead’s record of 82 tour wins as motivation in his recovery.
“It’s tough right now, but I’m absolutely optimistic about the future,” said Woods, who has 79 Tour wins. “There are a couple records by two outstanding individuals and players that I hope one day to break. As I’ve said many times, Sam and Jack reached their milestones over an entire career. I plan to have a lot of years left in mine.”
You expect to hear nothing different from Woods, 38, and perhaps he’ll shock the world and catch Nicklaus. But the reality is he missed an opportunity to move closer to Nicklaus in 2010 and not taking advantage of that window will likely cost him a chance at the record. Now, he has probably lost 2014 when the majors will be played at venues where he won six of his 14 majors: Augusta, Royal Liverpool and Valhalla. Another opportunity lost.
This is not to indict Woods for what happened in 2009-2010 and since. We’ve seen numerous athletes derailed by injury and/or personal issues. The point is Woods missed his chance to close in on Nicklaus in 2010. He hasn’t won a major since and now he has undergone back surgery, leaving us likely to wonder what might have been.
Tiger Woods will miss the Masters for the first time in 20 years, after undergoing a surgery for a pinched nerve. Here’s a look the various injuries Woods has suffered over the years:
- 1994: Has benign tumor removed from left knee while student at Stanford University.
- 2002: Has benign cyst removed from left knee and fluid drained from around one of his ligaments.
- 2006: Injures muscle in left shoulder blade, but plays in World Golf Championships-American Express Championship and wins.
- 2007: Ruptures anterior cruciate ligament in his left knee while at home running after the 2007 British Open. Woods opts against surgery and wins five of his next six events.
- 2008: Two days after Masters, undergoes arthroscopic knee surgery to clean out cartilage.
- Days after winning the U.S. Open, his last major win, Woods undergoes surgery to repair ACL in left knee. Also suffers from double stress fracture in his left tibia.
- Ruptures right Achilles tendon.
- 2010: Withdraws from Players Championship with neck inflammation. An MRI exam reveals Woods has an inflamed facet joint.
- 2011: Announces he will miss Wells Fargo Championship after suffering a Grade 1 mild MCL sprain to his left knee and a mild strain to his left Achilles tendon.
- Withdraws from The Players Championship in May with apparent injuries after nine holes, saying his knee acted up and the Achilles followed. Didn’t play again until WGC-Bridgestone Invitational in August.
- 2012: Withdraws from final round of WGC-Cadillac Championship after injury to left Achilles tendon.
- 2013: Collapses on the course at Barclays from back pain, but remains in the tournament and finishes second.
- 2014: March 2: Withdraws from final round of Honda Classic with back issues.
- March 18: Announces he won’t play in Arnold Palmer Invitational after lingering back spasms.
- April 1: Undergoes back surgery for a pinched nerve. Announces he will miss Masters.