Tiger Woods sure did surprise everyone with his return to the 2023 Hero World Challenge. But what startled his fans more was the presence of a black brace on his right leg. The compression wrap was apparently used to provide extra support for the golfer’s joints and muscles. Well, it’s the same sleeve on his leg, or lack of one, that has piqued the interest of the golfing community.

A tweet was shared by NUCLR GOLF on their X handle, sharing a picture of the 15-time major champ without his leg sleeve. The snap showcases Woods’s leg sporting a long scar, a result of the accident that took place in 2021, alongside the caption, “He looks majestic!”

While the surgeries did help him heal the broken bones and ligaments, it doesn’t take away the stress his legs would feel as he drives the ball or swings the club. And, the brace, which is a medical device used to stabilize his right leg, was reportedly used by the athlete from the time of his comeback till now—that is, until a picture of him without one hit the community.

Netizens alarmed at the state of Tiger Woods’s leg

Back in 2018, NFL star Alex Smith was steamrolled into the ground by J.J. Watt and Kareem Jackson, causing the bones in his lower leg to shatter. The quarterback was diagnosed with an open fracture of his tibia and fibula, following which the doctors performed surgery on his lower leg. A couple of years and an immense amount of rehab later, he was back playing on the NFL as part of the injured list and was voted 2021 NFL Comeback Player of the Year. A fan hinted at the same while predicting, “Looks like Alex Smith’s leg. Eventually, he played football again, so in time I believe Tiger can win another tournament. Or at least compete. Takes time to rebuild that right leg muscle. Look how destroyed it is even years later.”

While some predicted a future where he would still win tournaments, others were focused on his current gameplay. Out of the last four starts he made in 2024 (all of them majors), the golfer missed the cut in three of them while finishing T60 at the Masters. Couple that with the picture and some followers responded, “It’s a miracle he’s still playing,” and “Nasty- it is amazing he can even walk.” Another user, meanwhile, shared a picture of the athlete teeing off before the accident and after his comeback in a bid to explain the decline in performance “No wonder his trail leg action has completely changed and he’s not able to drive off it like he did in the past.”

With a T60 finish at the Augusta National, the 48-year-old was able to break an all-time record by making the cut at the Masters a total of 24 times, consecutively. He shot 73-72 over the first two days to overcome the likes of Gary Player and Fred Couples, both of whom he was tied with at 23 cuts. A fan couldn’t help but point it out as they commented, “Guy made 2 Masters cuts on that thing…” Tiger Woods had, apparently, made two of his last cuts at Augusta in 2022 and 2024 (a WD in 2023) after the unfortunate accident.

The golfer had missed the cut at the fourth major of the season at the 2024 Open Championship. He did so by only carding a 14-over par with figures of 79-77 over the two rounds. Even so, he was able to finish above the likes of Wyndham Clark, the current No. 5 player on the OWGR. A fan duly highlighted the same: “Imagine having that leg and still clipping Wyndham Clark by 2 at The Open.”

The recent visuals without the braces undoubtedly do paint a hopeful picture when it comes to Tiger Woods’s health. Couple that with his recent comments after the 152nd Open Championship and his fans would surely breathe a sigh of relief: “I’m going to just keep getting physically better and keep working on it.”