Tiger Woods Injury Timeline Can Tiger Woods return to golf dominance despite the ailments he has endured throughout his career? Take a journey through his injuries over the past 23 years as we wait to see if 2018 will be the year of Tiger. By Charlotte Gibson

Tumor, scar tissue removal Coming off what is believed to be the biggest comeback victory in U.S. Amateur history in August, Woods, 18, has surgery to remove two benign tumors and scar tissue from his left knee.

Official World Golf Ranking: N/A

PGA Tour events played: 3

Cyst removal, fluid drain Who could forget Woods' standout 2002 season, with two major victories at the Masters and U.S. Open. It wasn't until later that year when the 26-year-old underwent surgery to remove a benign cyst from his left knee and had fluid drained from around one of his ligaments. Did we mention he came back right after the surgery to win the Buick Invitational in 2003?

Official World Golf Ranking: 1

PGA Tour events played: 18

Shoulder Some might argue that 2006 was Woods' best year, with eight PGA Tour wins, two majors and 10 top-5s in 15 starts. After winning five consecutive tournaments in the summer, Woods suffered an injured muscle in his left shoulder blade. Nonetheless, Woods fought through the pain and won the World Golf Championships-American Express with a total of 23 under.

Official World Golf Ranking: 1

PGA Tour events played: 15

Ruptured ACL After falling short of breaking the top 10 at the Open Championship, Woods, 31, ruptured the anterior cruciate ligament in his left knee while running at home. Deciding against surgery, Woods pushed through to win five of his next six events.

Official World Golf Ranking: 1

PGA Tour events played: 16

Knee surgery Just two days after finishing second at the Masters, Woods had arthroscopic knee surgery to clean out cartilage. With almost two months of recovery under his belt, Woods returned to the U.S. Open and clinched another major victory.

Official World Golf Ranking: 1

PGA Tour events played: 6

ACL repair One week after winning the U.S. Open, Woods underwent reconstructive surgery on the damaged ACL and missed the remainder of the 2008 season. Cutting his season short by almost five months, Woods announced that he also suffered a double stress fracture in his left tibia while preparing for the U.S. Open.

Official World Golf Ranking: 1

PGA Tour events played: 6

Torn Achilles tendon It wasn't until the 2010 Masters that Woods revealed he tore his right Achilles tendon in 2008 (an injury that resurfaced several times in 2009), further explaining why Woods ended his season after winning the U.S. Open. Even with all of his many ailments that year, Woods managed to stay on top of the Official World Golf Ranking.

Official World Golf Ranking: 1

PGA Tour events played: 17

Neck injury Less than a year after Woods' infamous SUV crash, followed by reports of multiple extramarital affairs, Woods struggled to place on tour. During the final round of the Players Championship, Woods withdrew because of a neck injury. Later, an MRI revealed that Woods had an inflamed facet joint in his neck.

Official World Golf Ranking: 1

PGA Tour events played: 12

MCL sprain, Achilles tendon strain In the third round of the Masters, Woods suffered a Grade 1 mild MCL sprain to his left knee and mild strain to his left Achilles tendon after hitting a difficult and awkward second shot from the pine straw on No. 17. Despite the injury, Woods proved his resilience and tied for fourth at the Masters.

Official World Golf Ranking: 5

PGA Tour events played: 9

Knee, Achilles act up After shooting a 42 on nine holes in the first round at the Players Championship, Woods withdrew because of apparent injuries. "Everything started getting tight," Woods said of his knee, Achilles and calf. As a result of these flare-ups, Woods sat out the next three months until returning to the WGC-Bridgestone Invitational in August 2011.

Official World Golf Ranking: 8

PGA Tour events played: 9

Left Achilles tendon At 36, Woods couldn't seem to escape the years of injuries surrounding his Achilles tendon. The former No. 1 in the world withdrew from the final round of the WGC-Cadillac Championship because of his injured Achilles tendon.

Official World Golf Ranking: 18

PGA Tour events played: 19

Back issues Woods, 38, withdrew from the final round of the Honda Classic because of back issues. This injury would mark the beginning of Woods' challenging year of back problems and failed attempts to break the top 25 in any tournament.

Official World Golf Ranking: 1

PGA Tour events played: 7

Back spasms No one has dominated the Official World Golf Rankings the way Woods has, which is especially remarkable given his career has been pervaded by injuries. Despite Woods' absence from the Arnold Palmer Invitational in 2014 because of lingering back pain, he remained the No. 1 golfer in the world.

Official World Golf Ranking: 1

PGA Tour events played: 7

Back surgery For several months, Woods endured back pain and missed multiple PGA Tour events. Woods announced he would miss the Masters, after undergoing a microdiscectomy for a pinched nerve. Three months later, Woods returned to tournament play at the Quicken Loans National, where he missed the cut.

Official World Golf Ranking: 1

PGA Tour events played: 7

Back surgery Struggling to recover from years of back injuries and surgeries, Woods missed the cut in three of the four majors in 2015. After almost finding his footing at the World Golf Championships-Bridgestone Invitational and the PGA Championship, Woods underwent a second microdiscectomy surgery with the hopes of returning in "early 2016."

Official World Golf Ranking: 292

PGA Tour events played: 11

Back procedure About a month after his second back surgery in a year and a half, Woods returned to Dr. Charles Rich, the same neurosurgeon who performed the previous two surgeries, to undergo a follow-up procedure to relieve discomfort in the area.

Official World Golf Ranking: N/A

PGA Tour events played: 11

Back spasms After multiple back surgeries and treatments, Woods returned to golf in 2017 with the hopes of regaining his dominance. It didn't take long before Woods withdrew from the second round of the Dubai Desert Classic citing back spasms. Although Woods' agent, Mark Steinberg, said the problem was unrelated to Woods' nerve issues, Woods would not play another tournament that season.

Official World Golf Ranking: N/A

PGA Tour events played: 1