Tiger Woods has undergone successful ankle surgery to cure arthritis induced by a previous injury.
The 47-year-old had to withdraw from the 2023 Masters midway through the third round earlier this month due to plantar discomfort.
However, he had surgery in New York on Wednesday.
The surgeon performed a subtalar fusion procedure to address the problem caused by a previous fracture of his talus —– a bone in the ankle joint.
He now looks highly likely to be out of next month’s US PGA Championship.
But questions will again be raised about how long the 15-time Major champion can continue to compete at the highest level.
A statement on Woods’ social media channels read: “Earlier today, Tiger underwent a subtalar fusion procedure to address his post-traumatic arthritis from his previous talus fracture.
“It was performed by Dr Martin O’Malley at HSS Sports Medicine Institute in New York City. He has determined the surgery to be successful.
“Tiger is currently recovering and looks forward to beginning his rehabilitation.”
Woods feared his leg would have to be amputated due to the serious injuries he suffered in a car accident in Los Angeles in February 2021.
He made a remarkable return to action 14 months later and finished 47th in the Masters.
But he withdrew from the US PGA following a third-round 79 and did not contest the US Open, before missing the cut in the 150th Open Championship at St Andrews.
Woods has accepted that he can only play a handful of times a year going forward and is targeting majors and events with which he has a personal connection.
But it looks highly unlikely he will contest at next month’s US PGA Championship at Oak Hill from May 18 to May 21.