There’s no greater enemy for an athlete than an injury. It can sideline all the fun in just a moment, and well, the game is never the same anymore after back surgery. There are many golfers in the industry, especially the PGA Tour pros, who are currently suffering from the cause, but despite that, they’re trying their best to show up every day and keep their legacy alive. Here are the top five golfers who faced career setbacks due to back injuries.

Tiger Woods

Whenever someone mentions an injury, Tiger Woods’s name is sure to pop up. The legend of the golf industry has faced a long and tough battle with back injuries. It started in 2014, when he had his first surgery to ease the pain of a pinched nerve. But, sadly, the pain didn’t go away, and he had to undergo surgery again in 2015. But did that help the golfer? No, in fact, two years later, in 2017, Woods had a major spinal fusion surgery, hoping to finally find relief from the constant ache. In between these, he missed a number of tournaments, including the 2016 Masters and the 2017 Masters.

As we all know, a tiger is born to roar, and so was the golfer. Despite these setbacks, Wood’s determination and love for golf have kept him going. In 2021, he had another surgery to remove a painful disc fragment. His back injuries have significantly impacted his career and have caused him to withdraw from events and spend extended periods in recovery. Since 2021, Woods has missed several, including the 2022 PGA Championship and the 2023 Genesis Invitational.

Patrick Cantlay

Patrick Cantlay was a rising star in golf. But his dreams were crushed, all because of an unfortunate injury. It all started in 2013, when he was the world’s top amateur golfer for 54 weeks, a record that still stands. But in May 2013, a dreadful disaster struck. While practicing at Colonial, the golfer felt a sudden yet severe pain in his back. It was a stress fracture in his L5 vertebrae that changed everything.

The next three years were tough. From 2013 to 2016, the PGA Tour pro was out of the loop, except for only 9 tournaments, according to Golf Digest. One can only imagine the misery he must be experiencing. Cantlay endured months of suffering, therapy, and self-doubt. But he refused to quit. He committed himself to self-improvement, calling it “the 24/7 game,” discovering fortitude in the darkest situations, which helped shape him into the golfer we know today!

Jason Day

This is a tough one. Former world number one Jason Day suffered from a variety of medical ailments in 2016, including the flu, colds, and more. But he never imagined that he’d have to withdraw from an event owing to his worsening health. However, it is exactly what occurred. His performance dropped, and he was forced to retire from the BMW Championship owing to a suspected back issue. The golfer finished the game with two overs through eight holes.

The injury had a greater impact on the PGA Tour pro’s game than he had anticipated. He had to retire from the 2022 John Deere Classic owing to a back ailment.

Will Zalatoris

Will Zalatoris’ back injury odyssey began during the 2022 BMW Championship and has continued on and off since then. Zalatoris was on a roll until his injury halted his progress. He and his teammates then agreed to take a break, seek assistance from a specialist, Dr. Greg Rose, and ensure that he could continue playing without injuring his back again. However, the situation persisted. It prompted him to withdraw from the 2023 Masters and have back surgery in April 2023. But the golfer didn’t give up and made a big comeback again.

Following a triumphant comeback to the Hero World Challenge in December 2023, Zalatoris showed remarkable control and outstanding form with top-10 finishes at the Genesis Invitational, Arnold Palmer Invitational, and the Masters. However, the PGA Tour pro’s return was short-lived, as he withdrew before the 2024 Rocket Mortgage Classic owing to the dread of another back injury.

Hideki Matsuyama

Hideki Matsuyama, the world’s sixth-ranked golfer, pulled out of the 2024 BMW Championship in the second round owing to a lower back issue. The Japanese athlete, who had won the previous week’s playoff opener in Memphis, Tennessee, had to withdraw due to experiencing pain during his morning warm-up. The golfer describes it as, “I am disappointed to have to withdraw from the BMW Championship after experiencing lower back discomfort while warming up this morning, which made it impossible to play,” according to Yahoo Sports.

This isn’t his first withdrawal from a competition in 2024. He pulled out of the AT&T Pebble Beach Pro-Am and the Wells Fargo Championship as well. Do you believe the golfer can recover if his health improves? Please let us know in the comments below!