Concerns Grow for Tiger Woods as PGA Tour Pro’s Career Hits Another Rock Bottom

Is this the end of Tiger Woods? The big cat showcased his swing during an exhibition event at the Liberty National Golf Club in September 2025. But he confirmed his 7th lower back surgery, and fans lost all hope of his comeback. That has raised the question on multiple occasions now: have we seen the last of him?

It will take him 3-6 months to recover from the surgery. Could be even longer, considering his age and history of back surgeries. And while he takes time to return, another salt has just been added to that wound.

As per the latest reports, the 82-time PGA Tour champion has fallen below the top 2000 golf rankings in the world. And if he doesn’t make it to the fairway by March 2026, then he could also become an unranked golf player. That’s what Golf Forever pointed out in their latest Instagram post: “Tiger Woods has fallen out of the top 2,000 in the Official World Golf Rankings. From World No. 1 for a record 683 weeks… to possibly unranked by the 2026 Masters. Time waits for no one ⏳.”

Tiger had already hinted that he might move to the Senior Tour when he turns 50. In about two months he’s reaching there. Considering his health condition and status on the Official World Golf Rankings, it is very much possible that Woods might not play a professional event again. But what about his qualifying chances for the majors?

Well, he has exemptions to play in the Masters Tournament, the PGA Championship, and the Open Championship next season. So he will still be a part of the field if he wishes to play in them. But will that be enough to find that former glory?

Fans don’t seem to believe so, as they were disheartened by Tiger Woods’s status in golf. And they couldn’t help but share their heartbreaks in the comments.

Tiger Woods leaves fans heartbroken with career rock bottom 

From world #1 for 683 weeks to his first week as world # 2084, Tiger Woods has certainly dropped way out of touch with golf. As heartbreaking as it is, one of the fans saw the reality of the situation as they commented, “Hope he gets well however as far as golf is concerned, he is completely done . Retire TW it’s ok you changed the entire golf industry and your a legend.” 

The big cat changed the way golf is played, and the world will forever be in debt for that. But after his 7th lower back surgery, it will be a little too much for anyone to expect him to rise up the ranks once again. Retirement might truly be the best option as he watches his son, Charlie Woods, prosper in the game.

Someone wrote, “Doesn’t matter. He’s done all he needs to do and just needs to recover at this point and play for leisure.” Fans just want him to worry less about his professional days and purely enjoy the game.

With another season of TGL coming up, Woods will be able to join the Jupiter Links GC if he recovers quickly enough. That is probably all the golf he could play after another back surgery. Until then, as Woods himself promised, he will be in the stands at the SoFi Center supporting his team in every match. Even Johnson Wagner said that Woods’s time as a professional golfer was done during a conversation with Trey Wingo.

One of the fans even warned Woods, “Leave the golf before the golf leave you.” They seem to advise the big cat to stop playing professionally before he can not play golf at all. Considering the condition of his body and how hard he pushes it for every event, it would be painfully torturous for him to go through the process again. But if he does take golf very seriously right now, then he would still have enough gas in the tank to at least play a few more majors before he completely puts the clubs down.

Ignoring the OWGR status, a comment read, “Still the best golfer ever. Nobody cares about rankings, he only cares about his health.” They believe that the world rankings can’t judge how great Tiger Woods truly is. It seems they still have hope that if he gets back to full health, he will be able to return to golf and prove everyone wrong about his abilities despite his age and body’s condition.

Lastly, a fan said, “I feel like it’s incredibly impressive he’s still ranked given how little and poorly he’s played. What a run!” This one turns the perspective, where if you see it from those lens, then his current position is actually better than any other golfer at his place who would’ve already retired from the number game.

The last time Tiger Woods competed in a professional golf tournament was in July 2024 during The Open Championship. And the last time he played well in a tournament was way back in the 2019 ZOZO Championship, the one he won. So for him to drop below the 2000 mark after being inconsistent for so long is certainly quite impressive.

In the end, despite the setback in numbers or rankings, Tiger Woods’ legacy and impact on golf continues to remain untouchable, leaving fans both heartbroken but also in awe.