Outside of Michael Jordan, it’s hard to argue that any athlete has had a better prime than what Tiger Woods has had on the golf course. Between 1998 and 2005, Woods made 142 consecutive cuts, and unheard of streak, and from 1999 through 2003 he won 32 tournaments. For perspective, only 13 players have accumulated more tour wins in their entire careers than Woods did in that 5-year run.

Spinal Nerve Damage

But all good things must come to an end, and for golf fans, it appears that it may be coming to a close earlier than expected. After some high-profile off the course incidents and a string of surgeries, Woods appears to be considering retirement in the not so distant future. By the sound of it, his troubled spine has a lot to do with his future in the game. According to Woods, nerve damage has left him unable to complete what were once normal tasks, and two microdiscectomy operations haven’t helped him regain his old form.

“There is nothing I can look forward to, nothing I can build towards. I walk. And I walk … I’m just walking, and that’s it,” said Woods of his current recovery. “I would like to be able to get to that first (bending over to pick up the ball). If I can get to that, then we can start talking about golf.”

Woods added that he has no current timetable for if and when he may return to the golf course.

“I have no answer for that. Neither does my surgeon or my physio. I listen to my surgeon, I listen to my physios, and we just take it day by day. Hopefully, the day by day adds up to something positive here soon. There is no timetable for this and that’s been the hardest mindset adjustment is that I don’t know. Where is the light at the end of the tunnel? I don’t know, so that’s been hard,” Woods said.

No More Spine Surgeries?

It also sounds like Woods is done going under the knife.

“One, I don’t want to have another procedure,” Woods told the magazine. “And, two, even if I don’t come back and don’t play again, I still want to have quality of life with my kids. I started to lose that with the other surgeries.”

We blogged about Tiger’s previous back surgery when it occurred, but it sounds as if he’s content with non-invasive options for the remainder of his career. I’ll bet he opts for intense physical therapy, anti-inflammatory medications and on really bad days, a cortisone injection, and hopefully those treatments help him become competitive once again on the golf course.

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