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sports Thursday 21 January 2021
Woods has 5th back surgery, to miss Torrey Pines and Riviera

By DOUG FERGUSON the fall of 2019, he tied Sam 38th in his Masters title de-
AP Golf Writer Snead's career victory re- fense that he has days that
Tiger Woods has suffered cord with No. 82, and the are harder than others.
a setback with his back, record seemed to be only "My body just has moments
disclosing Tuesday that he a matter of time. But he where it just doesn't work
recently had a fifth surgery was never in serious con- like it used to," he said in
that will keep him from tention all of last year and November. "No matter how
starting the year until after missed a full month with a hard I try, things just don't
the West Coast Swing on minor back issue before work the way they used to,
the PGA Tour. golf was shut down by the and no matter how much I
Woods will not play next COVID-19 pandemic. push and ask of this body,
week in the Farmers In- When he returned in July, it just doesn't work at times.
surance Open at Torrey he didn't finish better than Yes, it is more difficult than
Pines, which he has won a tie for 37th at the PGA others to be motivated at This Dec. 19, 2020, file photo shows Tiger Woods watching his tee
seven times, most recently Championship in seven times. shot on the first hole during the first round of the PNC Champion-
in 2013. He also won the tournaments he played. In "Yes, because things just ship golf tournament, in Orlando, Fla. Associated Press
U.S. Open in 2008 at Torrey six of those events where he ache and have to deal
Pines, which hosts the U.S. made the cut, he finished a with things that I've never Torrey Pines and Riviera. He West Coast Swing. Then it's
Open again in June. combined 107 shots out of had to deal with before." has not been as predict- Bay Hill, where Woods has
He also will miss the Gen- the lead. He played the PNC Cham- able with his schedule in won eight times (all before
esis Invitational on Feb. He turned 45 at the end of pionship with his son and recent years leading to the his back surgeries) but has
18-21 at Riviera, where he last year, and his surgery they finished seventh. Masters on April 8-11. skipped the last two years,
serves as tournament host. count is now up to 10 — five Woods plans to be at Riv- The World Golf Champion- and The Players Champion-
In a statement from his on his left knee, five on his iera in his role as tourna- ships event recently played ship. There are three more
TGR Foundation, which back. ment host. The statement in Mexico has moved to tournaments after that be-
Woods also tweeted, he Woods said after he tied for said only that he would miss Florida and follows the fore the Masters.q
did not say when he had
the microdiscetomy sur-
gery though Rory McIlroy,
speaking Wednesday at a
news conference ahead
of the Abu Dhabi Cham-
pionship, said it took place
on Dec. 23 and that Woods
was "back on his feet the
next day."
It was to remove a pres-
surized disc fragment that
was giving him nerve pain
during the PNC Champi-
onship last month that he
played with 11-year-old
son Charlie.
Doctors said the operation
was a success and predict-
ed a full recovery, accord-
ing to the statement.
"I look forward to begin
training and am focused
on getting back out on
tour," Woods said.
The year Woods last won at
Torrey Pines is when back
problems began to sur-
face. He had his first micro-
disectomy right before the
2014 Masters, and then he
had two more in Septem-
ber and October of 2015.
The fourth surgery in April
2017 was a major one, to
fuse his lower spine. Woods'
return was successful, lead-
ing to a victory in the 2018
Tour Championship — his
first in five years — and he
capped it off by winning
the Masters in 2019, his
15th major and his first in 11
years.
When he won the Zozo
Championship in Japan in