Tiger Woods out until 2016 after 2nd microdiscectomy on his back

Tiger Woods announced Friday that he will be out until “early 2016” after he underwent a second microdiscectomy procedure on his back.

The surgery, performed in Utah on Sept. 16 by Dr. Charles Rich, comes just 18 months after Woods had a similar procedure performed on March 31, 2014.

“This is certainly disappointing, but I’m a fighter,” Woods said. “I’ve been told I can make a full recovery, and I have no doubt that I will.”

Woods scored a season-best T-10 finish at the Wyndham Championship in August, an 11th-hour effort at making the FedEx Cup playoffs. Woods came up short of a needed win to qualify. During the week, Woods complained of hip problems, which lingered weeks after the tournament. Doctors sourced the pain to Woods’ surgically repaired back, and Woods opted for surgery to deal with the problem.

“With the upcoming offseason, the decision was made to remove a small disc fragment that was pinching his nerve,” said surgeon Dr. Rich. “The microsurgery was a complete success, and he was discharged Thursday night.”

The former world No. 1 said he expects to come back after taking the appropriate time to recover, but that means he will miss the Frys.com Open, the PGA Tour’s season opener in October which Woods committed to last week. He’ll also miss the two-man Americas Golf Cup on PGA Tour Latinoamerica, where Woods was set to represent the U.S. with partner Matt Kuchar.

“I’d like to send my regrets to Frys and all those associated with the Americas Golf Cup,” Woods was quoted as saying on his website. “Those were two events I was really looking forward to playing.”

He will attend his Hero World Challenge in the Bahamas in December but will not play.

After his first microdiscectomy, the 39-year-old returned to the PGA Tour at the Quicken Loans National, which benefits his foundation. Woods admitted at the time that he would not have come back as soon were it not for the politics of placating a new tournament sponsor and 2014 host Congressional Country Club.

Woods’ birthday is Dec. 30, meaning he won’t play again on the PGA Tour until he turns 40.

Ryan Ballengee is a Yahoo Sports contributor. Find him on Facebook and Twitter.

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