Tiger Woods, the world-renowned golfer, will be unable to compete in the forthcoming 2023 PGA Championship due to a major ankle injury that he sustained last month. After a successful ankle fusion surgery on April 19, Woods will need to recover for several months before returning to the golf course.
Woods was forced to retire from the 2023 Masters tournament in the middle of the tournament. He took the painful decision to withdraw from this year's Masters prior to the start of Round 3 owing to issues with his right knee.
He has only participated in the Genesis Open and the previous two Masters tournaments this season. In addition, he has been absent from the PGA Championship in recent years, missing the event three times in the last seven years.
Tiger Woods shared a statement on Twitter, confirming his absence from the 2023 PGA Championship and sharing a message about his injury.
Why Tiger Woods withdrew from 2022 PGA Championship?
Tiger Woods competed in his second major since his comeback at the Tulsa PGA Championship in 2022. Despite making the cut at Southern Hills, he had to quit after a difficult third round fraught with discomfort, similar to his experience at The Masters earlier that year. Woods had a tough day, finishing with a career-low total of nine-over 79, which included five straight bogeys.
Only five-time champions Tiger Woods has fewer PGA Championship victories than Jack Nicklaus and Walter Hagen. Woods, a four-time champion at the event, successfully defended his title in Tulsa in 2007, extending his incredible record at the PGA Championship.
2006 and 2007 PGA Championships were watershed moments in Woods' life
Tiger Woods had an incredible run in the 2006 and 2007 PGA Championships. The celebrated golfer won his third PGA Championship and 11th major title in 2006 at Medinah Country Club in Medinah, Illinois, from August 17-20.
He won the competition by five strokes over Shaun Micheel, the 2003 winner. This victory came just four weeks after he won The Open Championship at Hoylake, giving Woods incredible back-to-back major titles.
The 89th PGA Championship was held the following year, from August 9-12, at Southern Hills Country Club in Tulsa, Oklahoma. As the reigning champion, Woods once again demonstrated his outstanding abilities, winning his fourth PGA Championship and 13th major title. He was exceptional throughout the competition, resulting in a two-stroke lead over runner-up Woody Austin.
These PGA Championship triumphs emphasized Tiger Woods' domination in the golfing world and cemented his position as one of the best players of all time.