A former PGA Tour player who is now a top orthopedic physician says he would be “amazed” if Tiger Woods ever won another tournament after undergoing more surgery.
On Wednesday, Woods, 47, had a subtalar fusion to “treat his post-traumatic arthritis from his previous talus fracture.” In layman’s words, that will relieve pain in his right ankle, which was visibly bothering him throughout the Masters this month. However, Dr. Bill Mallon, a professional player from the 1970s and a fellow of the American Academy of Orthopaedic Surgeons, believes it will limit motion in the old joint and cause him to miss six months to a year.
Mallon gave a comprehensive explanation of the technique on social media and concluded: “His competitions for 2023 are likely done and I would not be surprised not to see him play again until Augusta 2024 [the Masters next April].” Woods will face a minimum of six weeks in a protective boot, splint or cast, but it may be treble that, and aspirations of a return in 2023 will also be hampered by being unable to take weight on that leg during that period.
Mallon, when contacted by The Times, expressed his opinion on whether Woods will be able to play at a high level again. “It depends on what you define as a decent level,” he remarked. “I’d be astonished if Tiger ever won another PGA Tour competition, let alone a major championship. I’d be surprised if he could recuperate enough to achieve that. I think he can play on Tour, make some cuts and play as a ceremonial golfer, but I don’t think he will ever be competitive at PGA Tour level. I know he won’t be pleased with that, but I’m afraid it may be all he gets.”
Woods has made it perfectly plain that he will not be content with becoming either a ceremonial golfer or his own tribute act, eternally muddling around the cut line or worse, and has declared he will resign if he believes he can no longer win events.
Phil Mickelson was joint runner-up at this month’s Masters, at 52, but Mallon pointed out that he has not had the same amount of ailments as his old opponent. Woods had five back procedures, including a spinal fusion, and two knee surgeries before to the 2021 vehicle accident, which left him with numerous leg and ankle injuries.
“Notwithstanding Tom Brady in American football, once you reach your forties, things don’t heal as well, there are more aches and pains every day, and it is just harder,” Mallon, who has also served as president of the International Society of Olympic Historians, stated.
Any setback inevitably inspires cries for Woods to retire, but the rush to do so is an odd phenomena, considering his accomplishments and enduring pulling power, and he has earned the right to make his own decisions without anybody else telling him what to do. He claims his shooting talent is excellent, but the pain of walking is wearing him down. His supporters may hope that this surgery will alleviate his suffering and allow him to return to a satisfactory level, but Mallon believes it is more complicated than that.
The arthritis is not the same as the one cited as the reason for his withdrawal from the Masters before the rain-delayed third round commenced on the last day. Then he explained that it was plantar fasciitis, a painful condition that affects the sole of the foot but is treatable with rest.
“The plantar fasciitis explanation astonished me, considering the degree he was limping,” noted Mallon, who felt the grimacing was due to arthritis induced by the broken talus and interrupted blood supply. “He most likely had plantar fasciitis, but it’s possible he also had arthritis. I believe it is more intricate than one easy thing that can alleviate all of his misery. I believe he will still have some issues.”
Even with Woods’ established ability to recuperate faster than predicted, he appears to be out of the remaining majors this year. It’s a rerun of last year’s guessing game, when he returned from his 2021 car crash at the Masters, withdrew from the PGA Championship after three rounds, missed the US Open, and then missed the cut at the Open. This year will lack that sense of urgency, since the 150th Open at St Andrews in 2022 held an emotional appeal for him.
