Tiger Woods to miss 2023 PGA Championship for the 3rd time in 7 years
Legendary golfer Tiger Woods has been out of action since withdrawing from the 2023 Masters midway. Now, the news has come up that the 15-time major champion is set to miss the upcoming 2023 PGA championship.
Woods underwent an ankle surgery just last month, he has been in the recovery phase since then. This is also the reason why he will miss the major tournament.
Interestingly, in the last seven years, the 47-year-old golfer has missed the PGA Championship three times.
Tiger Woods was involved in a terrible car accident in February 2021 in Los Angeles. This put him out of action for the next 14 months before he made the comeback at the 2022 Masters and managed to make the cut.
In the period of two Masters, Woods has participated in just one competitive event, which was the Genesis Open. When he came to Augusta National Golf Club this year, he had been struggling with his right knee. This eventually made him withdraw from the tournament even before the start of Round 3.
On April 19, he underwent ankle fusion surgery. It was successful but this has forced him out of action for the next few months.
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The PGA Championship begins on May 18 and ends on May 21. Tiger Woods may return to the next major tournament, the U.S. Open, which will commence on June 15.
"I would not be surprised" - Golfer-turned-surgeon, Bill Mallon, predicts when Tiger Woods could return to golf
Tiger Woods recently underwent a successful ankle fusion surgery. Ex-PGA star golfer Bill Mallon, who is now a renowned surgeon, came up with his predictions about the five-time Masters champion's future.
Although Mallon did not perform the surgery on Woods, his remarks are founded on his experience in the medical field. He told Daily Mail that Woods will take six weeks to three months to recover from surgery:
"It usually takes 6 weeks to 3 months for the fusion to take effect, and Tiger will have limited weight-bearing during that time, which again will be at the surgeon's discretion, and also depends on how the fusion is healing."
Talking about Tiger Woods' potential return, Mallon said it will take the golfer at least six months to return to golf:
"Can he play golf again? Yes, but that's at least 6 months to a year in the future. His tournaments for 2023 are likely over, and I would not be surprised to not see him play again until Augusta 2024."
Later on, Bill Mallon added that whether or not Woods will play good golf again, he is sure his game would not be the same as it was in the past:
"Can he play golf well again? Depends on your definition of well. He'll never be the Tiger of 2000 or even 2015. The fact that this is his right foot/ankle is the saving grace, as you need motion in your left foot/ankle as you roll over it near impact."
If Bill Mallon's predictions are taken into account, then Woods might not play the 2023 U.S. Open either.