Tiger recovering from back surgery
TIGER Woods may struggle to be competitive in time for the US Masters after a fifth back operation. The 15-time Major winner revealed yesterday he underwent a procedure to remove a disc fragment that was pinching a nerve. Woods initially felt discomfort following the PNC Championship in December. The 45-year-old will be out of action for at least two months and will skip the Farmers Insurance Open and Genesis Invitational, two of his regular early season events on the PGA Tour, as he recovers. ‘I look forward to begin training and am focused on getting back out on tour,’ said Woods in a statement. Woods has had recurring back issues and underwent spinal fusion surgery in April 2017 which proved a success – two years later he won a fifth Masters title. Meanwhile, Shane Lowry is targeting a quick win and a Ryder Cup call to arms as a new European Tour season gets underway in the $8m Abu Dhabi HSBC Championship tomorrow. After a sluggish 2020, the Open champion starts afresh, eager to improve his world ranking of 35 and add to his five Tour wins. ‘If I get another win on the board soon enough and head to America in September and win the Ryder Cup that’s my goal for the year,’ he said yesterday. ‘I want to make the team but I also want to go out there and win, stamp my name on that part of golf.’ Lowry is part of a stellar cast that includes Rory McIlroy, Justin Thomas, Justin Rose and Tommy Fleetwood in the first of three events on the ‘Arabian Swing’. Meanwhile, the JP McManus Pro-Am, due to be held this July at Adare Manor in Limerick has been postponed for a second time. The event will now take place on July 4-5, 2022.