“I look forward to tackling this rehab and preparing myself to get back to… golf,”  said a hopeful Tiger Woods after undergoing a microdecompression surgery. And boy, were the fans hopeful when they read this. However, now a bucket of cold water seems to have been dropped on their hopes and expectations. The reason? All thanks to the golfer’s recent charity event at Pebble Beach, which saw a Max Homa and Gary Woodland appearance.

A tweet was shared by TWLEGION, a fan page of the 48-year-old athlete, divulging the details of the Tiger Woods Invitational that is currently taking place at Pebble Beach. “Doesn’t look like Tiger is in attendance for his charity event at Pebble Beach,” wrote the social media handle as it hinted at a bleak picture regarding his health.

“Likely a sign that his recovery is still in its early stages. Woods had Max Homa and Gary Woodland running the clinic for guests.” It appears he is still in recovery, causing other PGA Tour pros to step up and take over for the Hall of Famer. Truly a great gesture by the two athletes!

A follower, meanwhile, took to react to the tweet. They mentioned how they are “over the whole Tiger being a competition golfer thing.” Responding to the same, TWLEGION pointed out how many in the community are still curious about the golfer’s condition. “Lots of people are still asking regularly for updates/if he’s hitting balls, etc.,” wrote the handle. “Him not even being at Pebble to attend a charity event should be a sign we’re still a ways away.”

What happened for the golfer to undergo his sixth lower back surgery in 10 years? Well, Tiger Woods had been riddled with lower back spasms throughout the year. He had even resorted to using pain patches during the 2024 Masters Tournament at Augusta National. And he took the procedure to relax the spasms that were haunting him.

The 15-time major champ underwent microdecompression surgery (a.k.a. microdiscectomy) in a bid to relieve the nerve impingement in his lumbar spine. It was done successfully by Dr. Sheeraz Qureshi of the Hospital of Special Surgery. “The surgery went smoothly, and I’m hopeful this will help alleviate the back spasms and pain I was experiencing throughout most of the 2024 season,” said Woods as he expressed hope in returning to the sport of golf soon!

When will Tiger Woods tee up next?

Although the 2024 season hasn’t been that great for the 48-year-old golfer, he might hope to make a comeback to the course a couple more times. If everything goes well and according to plan, you might be able to spot a recovered Tiger Woods at the 2024 Hero World Challenge in November. Still not enough?! Well then, you might have to keep an eye out for the golfer at the PNC Championship with Charlie Woods.

Coming back to his season so far, the golfer had suffered an illness at the Genesis Invitational, following which he withdrew from the same. Out of the rest events, he finished T60 at the Masters before missing the cut in the rest of the majors. Unfortunate? You got that right. But if his back spasms have been alleviated, then there is a chance for the 82-time PGA Tour champ to make a successful comeback onto the greens!