Tiger Has Knee Surgery

Tiger Woods underwent successful arthroscopic surgery on his left knee Tuesday, it was announced on his website. It was the third operation the 32-year-old Woods has undergone on the knee.

The procedure was performed by Dr. Thomas D. Rosenberg at the Healthsouth Surgical Center in Park City, Utah. He previously performed a one-hour surgery in Dec. of 2002 to remove fluid inside and outside the anterior cruciate ligament, and removed benign cysts. In 1994, Woods had a benign tumor removed.

"I made the decision to deal with the pain and schedule surgery after the Masters," said Woods, who finished second in the tournament last Sunday. "The upside is that I have been through the process before and know how to handle it. I looked forward to working through this rehabilitation process and getting back to action as quickly as I can."

The typical healing process is 4-6 weeks. Woods, who will not need crutches, could return to competition at The PLAYERS Championship, May 8-11. A more conservative estimate would be the Memorial Tournament, May 29 through June 1.

"Tiger has been experiencing pain in his knee since the middle of last year, and when he had it looked at by his doctors, arthroscopic surgery was recommended," said Mark Steinberg, his agent. "Cartilage damage was found during the procedure, which Dr. Rosenberg was able to correct. Tiger has played through pain in the past, but knew it would be better for him to have the procedure done as early as possible."

Woods was released from Healthsouth Surgical Center on Tuesday. He is scheduled to host Tiger Jam XI in Las Vegas on Friday and Saturday at the Mandalay Resort. Proceeds benefit the Tiger Woods Foundation and select Las Vegas charities.

--Mark Soltau