Stephen A. Smith labels Tiger Woods as “recreational golfer” following 15x major champion’s latest injury

Tiger Woods ruptured his Achilles while trying to ramp up his preparation for the upcoming events and will now be out of action for a while.

Stephen A. Smith labels Tiger Woods as “recreational golfer” following 15x major champion’s latest injury

Stephen A. Smith and Tiger Woods (Image via Variety/Imago)

This past Tuesday, Tiger Woods provided a grim update regarding his health. The 15-time major champion informed that he had ruptured his Achilles while trying to ramp up for the upcoming events. He is now likely to miss the entirety of the 2025 season. Sportscaster Stephen A. Smith labeled him as a “recreational golfer” following this development.

Woods had been out of action since July 2024. After failing to make the cut at The Open Championship, he would undergo a back surgery. While, he did play in the PNC Championship in December alongside his son Charlie Woods, he was yet to make an official PGA Tour return.

YouTube video

Woods was expected to return to golfing action during the Genesis Invitational in February. However, after the passing of his mother, Kultida Woods, the 49-year-old withdrew his name from this signature event.

FS Video

He was scheduled to take part in some bigger events this year. After snubbing the Arnold Palmer Invitational, it was likely that he would skip The Players Championship and try to get ready to make an appearance at the 2025 Masters Tournament at the Augusta National.

On ESPN First Take, Chris “Mad Dog” Russo and Stephen A. Smith would discuss about Woods’ latest setback. During this, Smith recounted the previous physical battles of the golfer and claimed that he cannot walk 18 holes for 4 days.

I mean no disrespect. To me, Tiger Woods is a recreational golfer at this point… his health is so bad. He’s gone through so many physical tragedies… walking the 18-hole course is not something he can do anymore… He can’t do it anymore, it’s just that simple.

Stephen A. Smith said on First Take

Woods has played limited golf over the past few years since his horrific car crash in 2021. Last year, he took part in 5 events. After withdrawing from the Genesis Invitational in the middle of the event due to illness, he competed in all 4 major championships.

Following a record breaking cut at the Masters, Woods finished bottom of the standings of the 2024 Masters. After that, he missed the cut in all the other three major championship events.

Jay Monahan was left ‘bummed’ to hear about Tiger Woods’ latest injury

The news of Tiger Woods suffering a huge injury just before the major championship season has left many fans heartbroken. PGA Tour Commissioner Jay Monahan would later speak on this matter, and admitted that he was left ‘bummed‘ after hearing this.

Jay Monahan and Tiger Woods
Jay Monahan and Tiger Woods (Image via Golf Digest)

Woods and Monahan have been in close contacts recently. The two of them have been heavily involved in the merger talks with the Public Investment Fund (PIF) at the White House, following the intervention of Donald Trump.

Speaking at the Sirius XM PGA Tour Radio, the Commissioner expressed his disappointment to learn about his injury and hailed his leadership skills.

I have certainly reached out to him and was obviously really bummed and was really sad to hear that. He has been absolutely incredible as it relates to the leadership role he’s played… There’s nobody that understands the fabric of the game and the fabric of this organization and the fabric of competitive golf more so than Tiger Woods.

Jay Monahan said

A ruptured Achilles typically takes 6-12 months to fully recover from. So by the time Woods is ready to come back to the greens, the regular season of the PGA Tour will come to an end.

Rory McIlroy sends well-wishes to Tiger Woods following Achilles injury

After Tiger Woods informed about his injury on social media, fans were quick to wish him well. Rory McIlroy was one of them. His TGL partner was hoping that he was doing well after this latest setback in his life.

Tiger Woods and Rory McIlroy
Tiger Woods and Rory McIlroy (Image via Imago)

In the press conference ahead of The Players Championship, McIlroy also pointed out that Woods does not have luck on his side when it comes to injury.

It sucks. Yeah, he doesn’t have much luck when it comes to injuries and his body… Hoping he’s in good spirits and hoping he’s doing okay.

Rory McIlroy said

Before this injury, Woods did play in the TGL league and represented his team, Jupiter Links GC. Out of the 5 matches they played, the former World No.1 featured in 4 matches.

His team though only won one match. The victory came against McIlroy’s Boston Common Golf in overtime. At the end both of this teams missed out on the playoffs in the inaugural season of the league, finishing in the bottom two spots.