Woods undergoes back procedure
Tiger Woods has suffered a setback with his back, disclosing Tuesday that he recently had a fifth surgery that will keep him from starting the year until after the West Coast Swing on the PGA Tour.
Woods will not play next week in the Farmers Insurance Open at Torrey Pines, which he has won seven times, most recently in 2013. He also won the U.S. Open in 2008 at Torrey Pines, which hosts the U.S. Open again in June.
The 45-year-old 15-time major champ also will miss the Genesis Invitational on Feb. 18-21 at Riviera, where he serves as tournament host.
In a statement from his TGR Foundation, which Woods also tweeted, he didn’t say when he had the microdiscetomy surgery. It was to remove a pressurized disc fragment that was giving him nerve pain during the PNC Championship last month that he played with 11-year-old son Charlie.
Doctors said the operation was a success and predicted a full recovery, according to the statement.
Woods is no stranger to the procedure. He had it three times: once in the spring of 2014 and twice in the fall of 2015. He eventually had a more serious operation called a spinal fusion in April 2017 that kept him from swinging a golf club for six months.
Colleges basketball: The NCAA tournament, which will take place entirely in Indianapolis and its surrounding areas, will tip off Thursday, March 18, with the First Four games. The first round will follow March 19-20, with the second round March 21-22. Those games will take place at Mackey Arena in West Lafayette, Assembly Hall in Bloomington, along with Bankers Life Fieldhouse, Hinkle Fieldhouse, Indiana Farmers Coliseum and Lucas Oil Stadium. The Sweet 16 will be played March 27-28 at Bankers Life Fieldhouse and Hinkle Fieldhouse, with the Elite Eight on March 29-30 at Lucas Oil Stadium. The Final Four, as previously indicated, will be played April 3 and 5 at Lucas Oil Stadium.
NBA: Trail Blazers G CJ McCollum has a hairline fracture in his left foot. He will wear a walking boot and be re-evaluated in four weeks. He was injured Saturday against the Hawks. McCollum is averaging a career-best 26.7 points, as well as five assists, per game.
NFL: Saints WR Michael Thomas likely will have surgeries on the torn deltoid and other injured ligaments in the ankle that plagued him all season, ESPN reported. The 2019 offensive player of the year suffered the injury in Week 1 of this season and missed nine games. He returned for the playoffs. Thomas should be ready for summer OTAs. ... The Falcons named Terry Fontenot their new GM. He’s the franchise’s first Black GM. Fontenot, 40, spent the last 18 seasons with the Saints.
NHL: Effective immediately, the NHL will stop using pucks with imbedded tracking technology for the foreseeable future due to complaints about their performance during the start of the season.
Soccer: The U.S. men’s team will open its 2021 schedule with an exhibition against Trinidad and Tobago on Jan. 31 at Orlando, Florida. Fans will be required to wear face coverings to attend the game.