Woods, whose successful golf career has been threatened by his marriage breakup with wife Elin Nordegreen following his involvement in widely circulated infidelity scandal that led to a divorce in 2010, is reported to be struggling with severe back pain.
A competitor and Woods’ good friend Jack Nicklaus has reported after seeing Woods last month that the world’s highest paid golfer won’t be able to compete this year.
Nicklaus and woods had a chance to talk about the competition and Wood’s post surgery problem during the Masters Champions Dinner at Augusta National.
After their conversation, Nicklaus spoke to an acquaintance who told him, “He won’t be back.”
“‘I said, ‘Why’s that?’, and he said, ‘He’s in too much pain. He can’t stand for 10 minutes.'”
“It’s nerve pain,” Nicklaus said. “It’s not going away that easy. Days later he was operated on again,” he added.
But in his website Woods dispels reports that he is done and is headed for retirement.
“The surgery went well, and I’m optimistic this will relieve my back spasms and pain,” Woods said. “When healed, I look forward to getting back to a normal life, playing with my kids, competing in professional golf and living without the pain I have been battling so long,” he added.
During the height of his golfing career, Woods took a sudden dive when he figured in a web of infidelity scandal that almost wiped out his loyal sponsors.
Woods’ alleged elicit affair with some women other that his wife came about when the popular golfer accidentally hit a fire hydrant near his house in Florida in 2009 causing minor bodily injuries to the golf icon.
The accident happened after a reported domestic quarrel with his wife Elin in connection with a woman believed to be Woods’ mistress and later identified as Rachel Uchitel who was with the golf champion in Australia before the incident. Uchitel later denied any elicit relationship with Woods. Read more:
Meanwhile, Woods’ physician Dr. Richard Guyer is confident the golfer will soon recover and resume his usual golfing activities.
“After he recovers from surgery, he will gradually begin his rehabilitation until he is completely healed,” Guyer said. “Once that’s accomplished, his workouts will be geared to allowing him to return to competitive golf,” he added
Woods is expected to rest for several weeks and later undergo therapy and treatment which may prevent him from participating in this year’s major events.
