Tiger Woods has procedure to alleviate discomfort in back

ByBOB HARIG
October 30, 2015, 6:18 PM

— -- One month after his second back surgery in a year and a half, Tiger Woods announced Friday that he underwent a follow-up procedure earlier this week to relieve discomfort in the area.

Woods, in a story on his website, said there remains no timetable for his return to competition.

"It's one of those things that had to be done," he said. "I have an outstanding team of doctors, and I'll be back as soon as I can."

Woods underwent microdiscectomy surgery in March 2014, subsequently missing more than three months of action. Following a disappointing 2014-15 campaign, he had a similar surgery Sept. 16 to correct a disk fragment that was pinching a nerve.

On Wednesday, Woods underwent a follow-up procedure in Park City, Utah. It was performed by Dr. Charles Rich, the same neurosurgeon who performed the previous two surgeries.

"Tiger is doing well, and we expect him to make a full recovery," said Rich, who did not offer specifics on the procedure.

Originally expected to make appearances at a media gathering for his own Hero World Challenge and a final design visit next week at Bluejack National, his course design outside Houston, Woods has already canceled plans to attend each event.

According to the release on his website, Woods is currently on bed rest.

Woods' agent, Mark Steinberg, declined to comment beyond the statement.

With no timetable for his return, any short-term optimism took a severe turn with this latest news. Last week in Mexico, where he made an appearance at the Bridgestone Americas Cup, an event he was originally expected to play, Woods said he had yet to begin his rehab process and that he faced a "long, slow recovery.''

"My family and the fans' concern and support have helped a lot," he said. "I'll be back, and I'll be ready to compete."

Woods' final event of the year was the Wyndham Championship in August, when he held a share of the lead entering the weekend only to finish in a share of 10th place. The most recent of his 79 career PGA Tour titles came more than two years ago, at the 2013 WGC-Bridgestone Invitational.

Woods, who was No. 1 on the Official World Golf Ranking for a record 683 weeks, is currently ranked 351st.

Information from ESPN.com's Bob Harig was used in this report.