Tiger Woods will be keen to land another major before he retires, his ex-caddie s (Image: Getty)
would still believe he is capable of winning another major despite suffering another troubling injury, according to his former caddie. The 49-year-old announced on Thursday that he had , which will rule him out of playing at the in April. The 15-time major winner offered no set timeline for his recovery, but reports suggest he could face up to a year away from the golf course as he recuperates. That could take the American icon into his 50s before he can even start to think about competing for honours again and will only strengthen calls for him to
But his former No. 2, Steve Williams, is confident that he can still claim another major before he hangs up his clubs. “There’s no question Tiger’s wired a bit differently than everybody else,” Williams told . “In my mind, he would believe that, if he could get his body fully cooperative and able to practice, he would believe that he could still win a major championship. I don’t think he would have given up on that dream quite yet. I mean, it’s possible to win a major in your fifties. Phil [Mickelson] has already proved that.
“Tiger would know that he’s had periods of practice that is good as what he would call ‘tour material’. So, I don’t think he’s given up on that dream yet. But, of course, every time he has an injury or something that slows things down, it makes that journey longer.”
Williams would know better than most about how Woods’ feels. The Kiwi spent 12 years carrying his bag between 1999 and 2011, the most successful period of his life where he won 13 of his 15 major titles. Woods’ last major came at the 2019 Masters, where he pulled off a remarkable victory just two years after struggling to walk into a Masters dinner function.
Steve Williams caddied for Tiger Woods between 1999 and 2011 (Image: Getty)
Amongst his worst injury problems, Woods has torn his ACL, had four back operations and suffered “multiple leg injuries” after his involvement in a car crash in California. His fresh Achilles problem comes after experiencing several tendon strains in the past.
Woods had recently enjoyed participating in the Tomorrow Golf League (TGL), the brainchild of the veteran golfer and his sidekick . He even got the chance to play alongside his budding golfer son, Charlie, 16.
15-time major winner Tiger Woods has been plagued by injury throughout his career (Image: Getty)
Reacting to his friend’s misfortune, McIlroy backed Woods to return feeling stronger: “It sucks. He doesn’t have much luck when it comes to injuries and his body. Obviously he was trying to ramp up to get ready for Augusta and achilles surgeries aren’t fun,” McIlroy said.
“I am hoping he’s in good spirits and hoping he’s doing OK. We obviously won’t see him play golf this year and hopefully we see him maybe play in 2026.”