Tiger Woods has revealed he hasn't "felt this good in years" after undergoing spinal fusion surgery last month.
The 14-times major winner returned to professional golf last last year, but his return was short-lived and he required further treatment on his deteriorating back.
Woods released an update on the state of his back, on Wednesday night in a blog on his website. Despite only having the surgery just over a month ago, Woods admitted "it is hard to express how much better I feel".
"I could no longer live with the pain I had. We tried every possible non-surgical route and nothing worked. I had good days and bad days, but the pain was usually there, and I couldn’t do much. Even lying down hurt."
"I had nerve pain with anything I did and was at the end of my rope. The process leading up to my decision to have surgery was exhaustive."
Golfers like Davis Love III and Retief Goosen have undergone similar surgery, Woods wrote. "They have all come back and played. But more than anything, it made their lives better. That’s the most important thing … that I can have a life again with my kids."
There is no time frame for a potential return from Woods but he "unequivocally" stated, "I want to play professional golf again."
"Presently, I’m not looking ahead. I can’t twist for another two and a half to three months. Right now, my sole focus is rehab and doing what the doctors tell me."
Woods is currently 860th in golf's World Rankings, with Oliver Suhr and Ola Johansson sandwiched around him. The road back to getting anywhere near the heights of his dominance will be a long one.
Download the brand new OffTheBall App in the Play Store & App Store right now! We've got you covered!
Subscribe to OffTheBall's YouTube channel for more videos, like us on Facebook or follow us on Twitter for the latest sporting news and content.
