Here's How Tiger Woods Has Played After the Longest Layoffs of His Career

Tiger Woods makes his 2023 debut at the Genesis Invitational. Here are the longest layoffs of his career, and how he fared upon his return.

Jeff Ritter | Feb 14, 2023

Tiger Woods is set to tee off at the 2023 Genesis Invitational, which will end a span of 216 days since his final round last July at the British Open at St. Andrews, where he missed the cut.

A 216-day layoff is lengthy, but Woods is no stranger to long stretches of injury-related time off. Here's a look at his longest absences, and how he fared upon his return.

Tiger Woods: Longest Career Layoffs

508 Days: 2020 Masters-2022 Masters

Woods had his fifth back surgery in December 2020, then suffered extensive leg and ankle injuries in February 2021 when he drove off the road in a one-car accident in Los Angeles during the week of the Genesis Invitational. Woods capped a lengthy recovery by returning at the 2022 Masters, where he walked with a noticeable limp but made the cut and finished 47th. Some called it one of the top highlights of his career.

466 Days: 2015 Wyndham Championship-2016 Hero World Challenge

Woods missed the cut in three of four majors in 2015 while battling back injuries. He finally shut it down for microdiscectomy surgery in September, and he needed an additional back surgery about a month later. He wasn't able to compete in the 2016 Ryder Cup (pictured) but would return two months later at the Hero World Challenge.

300 Days: 2017 Dubai Desert Classic-2017 Hero World Challenge

Tiger Woods, 2017 Hero World Challenge — USA Today

Woods had his fourth back surgery in April 2017 and would not return until his own event in the Bahamas. But this surgery was a success, as Woods would play 18 events in 2018 and continue to improve, capped by his stunning win at the 2019 Masters for his 15th major title.

254 Days: 2008 U.S. Open-2009 WGC Match Play

Tiger Woods, 2009 Match Play — USA Today

After Woods won the 2008 U.S. Open at Torrey Pines on a fractured right leg, he had surgery and missed time that extended into the 2009 season. Woods was bounced by Tim Clark in Round 2 of the Match Play, but still went on to win six times in 2009.

Published Feb 14, 2023

JEFF RITTER

Jeff Ritter is the managing director of SI Golf. He has more than 20 years of sports media experience, and previously was the general manager at the Morning Read, where he led that business's growth and joined SI as part of an acquisition in 2022. Earlier in his career he spent more than a decade at SI and Golf Magazine, and his journalism awards include a MIN Magazine Award and an Edward R. Murrow Award for sports reporting. He received a bachelor's degree from the University of Michigan and a master's from Northwestern University's Medill School of Journalism.