Tiger undergoes new back surgery

Tiger Woods said on Friday he'd undergone back surgery aimed at relieving muscle spasms that troubled him in 2024, the 15-time major champion saying he hoped to resume "normal life activities, including golf".

Woods, who turns 49 in December, hasn't played since he missed the cut at the Open Championship in July.

Playing a limited schedule in 2024 as he continued to deal with injuries sustained in a 2021 car crash, Woods withdrew from the Genesis Invitational, finished last among those who made the cut at the Masters and missed the cut at the PGA Championship, US Open and British Open.

"The surgery went smoothly, and I’m hopeful this will help alleviate the back spasms and pain I was experiencing throughout most of the 2024 season,” Woods said in a post on X (formerly Twitter).

"I look forward to tackling this rehab and preparing myself to get back to normal life activities, including golf."

Woods, who won the last of his 15 majors at the 2019 Masters, said he had "microdecompression surgery of the lumbar spine for nerve impingement in the lower back".