Tiger Woods was officially ruled out from the 2023 PGA Championship following his ankle surgery. The American legendary golfer was involved in a deadly car accident in 2021 and injured his leg. He has hardly competed in tournaments since then.
Although Tiger Woods played in two events this year, he was forced to withdraw from The Masters because of the severe pain in his leg. Woods soon underwent surgery and is on leave. Earlier this year, the 15-time major champion revealed that he would be playing in the major tournaments, but seemingly, he is not in a condition to be back on the course.
TWLegion shared a post on Tiger Woods's withdrawal from the PGA Championship on their Twitter account with a caption saying:
"No Tiger for the PGA. We knew this already. Just have to post it. The majors without Tiger have resumed for the foreseeable future. Sucks but hope he’s getting better day by day."
Fans jumped into the comments section to show concern about the golfer's career and wrote:
"Is he done for majors for the year?"
While some wished for his speedy recovery:
"Wish Tiger speedy recovery."
"Just kinda thinking tiger planned for this surgery with good timing, just settling things with his ex off of the golf course so that when it concludes he will be back."
"He’ll be back for at least one more major next year after he heals from the surgery and get back in shape . That major will tell the tale whether or not he can compete at that level anymore."
The PGA Championship is scheduled to start next week May 18 and will run through May 21.
When will Tiger Woods return to play?
Tiger Woods will take time to recover from his injuries. He won't be back that soon. The five-time Masters winner might compete in the remaining two major tournaments, but there is no update on it for now.
Recently, renowned surgeon Bill Mallow came up with an update on Tiger Woods' future. In a conversation with the Daily Mail, the surgeon revealed that it will take more than six weeks to a maximum of three months for Woods to recover. He said:
"It usually takes 6 weeks to 3 months for the fusion to take effect, and Tiger will have limited weight-bearing during that time, which again will be at the surgeon's discretion, and also depends on how the fusion is healing."
He also spoke about Tiger Woods's potential return to the golf course. Mallon went on to say:
"Can he play golf again? Yes, but that's at least 6 months to a year in the future. His tournaments for 2023 are likely over, and I would not be surprised to not see him play again until Augusta 2024."
Regarding Tiger Woods' efficiency on returning to golf, he also said:
"Can he play golf well again? Depends on your definition of well. He'll never be the Tiger of 2000 or even 2015. The fact that this is his right foot/ankle is the saving grace, as you need motion in your left foot/ankle as you roll over it near impact."