\u201cI feel bad for Tiger,\u201d fellow golf great Jack Nicklaus told the Palm Beach Post. \u201cHe\u2019s been taking painkillers for a long time and I don\u2019t know how much pain he\u2019s in. But I don\u2019t think he\u2019d be taking them if he didn\u2019t need them.\u201d<\/p>\n
Woods\u2019 current pivot to recovery<\/a> follows a barrage of headlines about his rollover crash and unfocused, hiccups-laden aftermath captured on police officers\u2019 body cameras<\/a> that included a phone call to President Trump,<\/a> failed field sobriety tests, handcuffs and a drive to jail in the back seat of a squad car. <\/p>\n A vehicle rests on its side after a rollover accident involving golfer Tiger Woods along a road in Rancho Palos Verdes on Feb. 23, 2021. Woods suffered leg injuries that required surgery. <\/p>\n (Ringo H.W. Chiu \/ Associated Press)<\/p>\n The episode also provides an opportunity to reflect on Woods\u2019 meteoric rise, sustained excellence and precipitous decline on the golf course, his scandal-plagued personal life and what the future might hold. <\/p>\n What does this latest episode say about Tiger Woods and where does he goes from here?<\/p>\n Prodigy to supremacy<\/p>\n Born Eldrick Tont Woods<\/a> on Dec. 30, 1975, Tiger was given his nickname by his father, Earl, a U.S. Army lieutenant colonel and Green Beret who served in Vietnam. Earl\u2019s combat partner was nicknamed Tiger and it was passed along.<\/p>\n Earl was deployed in the 1960s to the same base in Thailand where Kultida Punsawad worked as a secretary. They married and settled in the Orange County town of Cypress after the war. Tiger was their only child.<\/p>\n \u201cWhen Tiger was 10 months old, I unstrapped him out of his high chair and he walked over and hit the ball,\u201d Earl recalled on an HBO documentary about his son. \u201cI said, \u2018Oh my God, I\u2019ve got something special.\u2019 \u201d<\/p>\n Amateur Tiger Woods, right, talks with his father, Earl Woods, after practice for the Masters golf tournament at the Augusta National Golf Club in the 1990s.<\/p>\n (Amy Sancetta \/ Associated Press)<\/p>\n That soon became apparent<\/a> to everyone. At age 5, Woods showed his golfing prowess on the television show \u201cThat\u2019s Incredible.\u201d At 6, he played a televised two-hole exhibition at Calabasas Country Club with legendary golfer Sam Snead, whose record of 82 PGA Tour victories would be equaled by Woods nearly 40 years later.<\/p>\n Life wasn\u2019t all manicured greens. The only black child in his kindergarten class, he was tied to a tree by sixth graders, The Times\u2019 Bill Plaschke reported<\/a>. Woods played in his first national junior tournament at 13 in Texarkana, Ark., and a local reporter accused him of participating only because he wanted to integrate the local country club.<\/p>\n His excellence eventually stifled racism and quieted critics. As a high school sophomore in 1992, Woods became the youngest golfer<\/a> to play in a PGA Tour event, shooting a one-over-par 72 at Riviera Country Club<\/a> in Los Angeles. <\/p>\n He first hurt his back during that historic round, pulling a muscle while hitting out of deep rough. Afterward he remained on site for treatment, foreshadowing what would be a career-threatening battle with back injuries that includes seven surgeries since 2014 \u2014 several microdiscectomies, a 2017 lumbar fusion and most recently a lumbar disc replacement performed in October 2025. <\/p>\n \u201cTiger Woods\u2019 experience with spinal disease highlights a real and under-recognized issue among modern-era golfers,\u201d said Dr. Corey Walker of the Barrow Neurological Institute.<\/a> \u201cTiger\u2019s use of the mechanics of the modern-day swing places a tremendous strain on the back.\u201d<\/p>\n The high-torque swing emphasizes maximum rotation of Woods\u2019 shoulders relative to his hips. It\u2019s tough on his spine but also results in long drives and low scores. <\/p>\n Bothersome backs are common among golfers. Scotland-based osteopath Gavin Routledge<\/a>, who has teamed with renowned golf coach Gary Nicol in developing a treatment program for spinal injuries, views Woods\u2019 medical history as particularly telling.<\/p>\n \u201cI honestly can\u2019t see a way out for him,\u201d Routledge told Golfweek<\/a>. \u201cWe have known for decades that once you have one disc surgery, the chances of having another are substantially higher, especially if you use the fusion technique like Tiger. It\u2019s a domino effect.\u201d<\/p>\n Woods had no such worries in the mid-1990s. Amid winning three consecutive U.S. Amateur titles, he attended Stanford but left in 1996 after two years and turned pro<\/a> at 20, smiling and saying \u201cHello, world\u201d at his introductory news conference<\/a>.<\/p>\n By 2000, he became the youngest golfer to complete the career Grand Slam of winning the Tour\u2019s four majors and only the fifth ever to do so, following Ben Hogan, Gene Sarazen, Gary Player, and Nicklaus.<\/p>\n His dominance accelerated quickly, and nearly every year from 1997 to 2013 he won at least four and as many as nine tournament championships. He had his first back surgery in 2014 and the victories ceased until he shocked the sports world in 2019 by winning the Masters \u2014 the tournament considered the pinnacle of golf \u2014 for the fifth time, but the first in 14 years. <\/p>\n Tiger Woods and caddie Steve Williams watch Woods\u2019 chip shot teeter at the edge of the cup before dropping in the 16th hole during the final round of the 2005 Masters tournament.<\/p>\n (Al Tielemans \/ Sports Illustrated via Getty Images)<\/p>\n \u201cIt\u2019s overwhelming, just because of what has transpired,\u201d Woods said. \u201cIt\u2019s unreal to experience this.\u201d<\/p>\n A few months later he won the inaugural PGA Tour event in Japan to tie Snead\u2019s record of 82 career titles, hoisting the trophy 23 years to the day of his first Tour title at the 1996 Las Vegas Invitational. It was his last victory.<\/p>\n Comeback attempts have been infrequent and unsuccessful, measured against the standards he set for decades. All the while, his injuries mounted and personal life deteriorated.<\/p>\n Losing his grip<\/p>\n Even with his career at its pinnacle and before his back became chronically balky, Woods found his way onto tabloid headlines. It all started with his first public car accident<\/a>.<\/p>\n Woods crashed his Cadillac Escalade into a fire hydrant outside his home in Isleworth, Fla., at 2:30 a.m. Nov. 27, 2009. He was treated at a hospital with minor injuries and the incident turned out to be the culmination of a whirlwind of missteps that revealed Woods having affairs with several women outside of his marriage to Swedish model Elin Nordegren<\/a>, the mother of his two children.<\/p>\n Additional reporting<\/a> identified Woods as a regular at the Mansion, a club for high rollers at the MGM Grand casino in Las Vegas, where he had a $1 million betting limit and played blackjack at $25,000 a hand with NBA superstars Michael Jordan and Charles Barkley.<\/p>\n Woods admitted in 2010 that he had a sex addiction and spent 45 days at an inpatient program in Hattiesburg, Miss. He and Nordegren divorced.<\/p>\n The turmoil took a toll on Woods\u2019 golf game for two years, but he rebounded, winning three tournaments in 2012 and five in 2013. It wasn\u2019t until his first back surgery in 2014 that his career plummeted for good.<\/p>\n Research indicates<\/a> that retirees who define themselves primarily through their careers are vulnerable to prolonged distress. Few have had a professional life so clearly defined and wildly successful as Woods.<\/p>\n Tiger Woods hits from the fairway at the Riviera Country Club during the second round of the Genesis Invitational on Friday, Feb. 16, 2024 in Pacific Palisades. <\/p>\n (Gina Ferazzi \/ Los Angeles Times)<\/p>\n While not officially retired \u2014 he planned to play in this week\u2019s Masters until his rollover crash and arrest \u2014 his last PGA Tour event was the Open Championship<\/a> in Scotland in July 2024. <\/p>\n His most formidable obstacles to another comeback might be physical. Woods walks with a limp after suffering extensive damage to his right leg and ankle from a near-fatal single-car crash in Rancho Palos Verdes in 2021. And his most serious back surgery took place only six months ago.<\/p>\n Woods\u2019 more immediate concern seems to be kicking his use of addictive opioid painkillers. A judge in Martin County, Fla., granted his request to seek treatment outside the U.S. He also turned down the role of United States Ryder Cup captain in 2027.<\/p>\n \u201cI know and understand the seriousness of the situation I find myself in today,\u201d Woods said in a statement. \u201cI am stepping away for a period of time to seek treatment and focus on my health. This is necessary in order for me to prioritize my well-being and work toward lasting recovery.<\/p>\n \u201cI\u2019m committed to taking the time needed to return to a healthier, stronger, and more focused place, both personally and professionally. I appreciate your understanding and support, and ask for privacy for my family, loved ones and myself at this time.\u201d<\/p>\n What now? <\/p>\n Woods will continue to make a sizable impact on golf even if he never sets another ball on a tee.<\/p>\n![\"A](\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/04\/1775643009_569_.jpeg\")
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