Tiger Woods has dropped to the lowest world ranking position of his career to date after being kept out of the game due to long-term injuries.
The 15-time major winner, who turns 50 this December, has fallen to a record low of 2,048th on the Official World Golf Rankings (OWGR) with expectation that he is set to slide further down in the coming months as he continues to battle with injury problems that have ruled him out for virtually the whole season.
His last appearance on an OWGR-sanctioned tournament was the 2024 Open Championship at Royal Troon where he failed to make the cut and the last event to retrieve rankings points was at the 2024 Masters.
Earlier this month, Woods announced that he underwent his seventh back surgery of his career to address a collapsed disc in his spine. Prior to that, Woods had already been in the process of recovering from an achilles surgery to repair a ruptured left Achilles suffered in March.
“After experiencing pain and lack of mobility in my back, I consulted with doctors and surgeons to have tests taken,” Woods stated on X.
“The scans determined that I had a collapsed disc in L4/5, disc fragments and a compromised spinal canal. I opted to have my disc replaced yesterday, and I already know I made a good decision for my health and my back.”
There is no timescale as to when Woods will return to action with his future in the professional game in doubt but a potential return could come at December’s PNC Championship alongside his son Charlie.
He recently confirmed that he would be appearing at all of Jupiter GC Links’ matches during the second season of TGL, his tech-infused golf league which tees off for a second season on January 13. However, it is yet to be confirmed if that will be in a playing capacity.
“Looking forward to seeing everyone on January 13th for our home opener,” he wrote. “And @willlowerygolf, hands off my sticks!”
Woods famously spent 683 weeks of his career at the summit of the OWGR between June 2005 and October 2010. He last claimed top spot in May 2014.