WOODS’ SURGEON: HE WAS IN PAIN 24/7, IT’S INCREDIBLE
THE consultant spinal surgeon who advised Tiger Woods before his back operations has paid tribute to his powers of recovery. ‘People don’t realise just how much pain Tiger was in,’ said Damian Fahy. ‘When he came to see me, his first thought was get to a place where he would be able to spend time with his kids without breaking down in agony. The pain was 24/7. ‘You never know how a person will recover — most of it will depend on the patient’s strength of mind — but if he was to get back to playing golf at all, we saw that as a bonus. To get back to the point where he could win the Masters is incredible. It took a tremendous amount of courage to go through what he did,’ he told the Telegraph. One of Woods’ closest friends also hinted how close he came to retiring. Former PGA Tour player Notah Begay said: ‘I went to visit him and I walked in and he was unable to get up out of his chair.’