The Loop

Someone who actually knows what Tiger Woods is going through weighs in on Tiger Woods

September 21, 2015

Tiger Woods' latest successful/surprise back surgery has fans wondering what his golf future holds, analysts offering more swing advice, and doctors tripping over themselves to offer their professional opinions. But if there's one person who actually knows what Woods is going through, it's fellow golfer Graham DeLaet.

On Monday, DeLaet took to Twitter to talk about Tiger's microdiscectomy, a procedure the Canadian underwent in 2011:

When someone asked DeLaet why golfers get hurt, here was his response:

And here's what DeLaet said at the Sony Open in 2012 after the operation essentially wiped out his entire 2011 season:

"I had a herniated disk over to the right, so they go in and shave off a piece of that to alleviate the pinch on the nerve. I had terrible pain in my right leg. Yeah, it was not fun. I'm glad it's all over and I'm feeling great now."

DeLaet has had his highs since then (most notably his strong play at the 2013 Presidents Cup), but he's also missed a lot more time due to neck and thumb injuries.

"The frustrating part of being injured is waiting," DeLaet said in January after another extended break. "The recovery from any injury is always slower than you’d like."

At least, for Tiger this time, with the Masters still more than six months away, he won't be missing much while he waits.