Tiger Woods - A Time to Heal

Tiger Woods had surgery to repair his left anterior cruciate ligament (ACL) on June 18, 2008.  His surgeon, Thomas Rosenberg, M.D., stated that the surgical procedure was a success.  The torn ligament caused pain that was apparent during the (U.S. Open).  This will put him out of the game for at least six months in order to heal properly.  Tiger’s swing coach, Hank Haney notes that Tiger is known for pushing himself and this will force him to slow down.  

While he will be able to perform minimal golfing tasks such as putting, but the date of his return to golf will be determined by doctors.  His movement will be limited since he will be unable to pivot or turn with that leg.  Apparently Mr. Woods had been having trouble with left knee pain for some time, having had a benign tumor removed from that same knee in 1994.  In 2002, Tiger had an arthroscopic surgery performed on his left knee that led him to reconstruct his golf swing in hopes to extend his golfing career and reduce the risk of causing further damage to the left knee.  

In an interview with Greg McLaughlin on June 30, 2008, Tiger stated a graft was taken from his right hamstring to repair some of the cartilage damage in the left knee, and that his travel will be limited due to swelling he has when flying.  He is wearing a straight leg brace and will be taking it easy for a few weeks before he can attempt to put any weight on it at all.  While he is disappointed to be missing the rest of the season, he states “those are the cards right now, and I just have to deal with it.”