The one part of Tiger Woods’ game which he was unable to practice after coming back from surgery to play again

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Tiger Woods remains absent from the PGA Tour, with the legendary figure yet to play this season after undergoing surgery.

Woods required surgery on a ruptured Achilles earlier in the year, having last played at The Open Championship in July 2024.

Tommy Fleetwood drew comparisons to Woods after his win at the Tour Championship last month, an event the latter has won on three occasions.

Woods congratulated Fleetwood on his success, highlighting the Englishman’s resilience and hard work following his win at East Lake.

The American also has those characteristics in abundance, constantly coming back from injury to not only play but also really impress.

The one part of Tiger Woods’ game he couldn’t practice after comeback from surgery

However, Woods admitted in 2020 that he was unable to practice one area of his game in particular after a return from surgery.

He shared the issue in a short game demonstration for TaylorMade Golf when offering an insight into his bunker play.

READ MORE: The golfer who beat Tiger Woods by four shots at The Masters as an amateur will be on the PGA Tour next year

“I like feeling hands down and back,” explained Woods. “Because I grew up with a 56-degree wedge only and also my seven iron. I used to have to get down and get it releasing softly.

“I throw it a lot with my right hand. All my feels are right dominant. I putt right-handed, my full swing I end up feeling my right hand. So for me I like feeling my hands low and my hands back and then throw it.

“The problem is that when I have come back from my surgery, the only part of my game that I can’t work on is my bunker game. It’s because being in a side bend, I can’t rotate from here. So I have had to not practice that much.

“I hit a lot of flop shots, so it assimilates the same motion of what I like to feel with my right hand [but I’m not as low]. The lower I get the harder it is to side bend and rotate.”

How does prime Tiger Woods compare to the current leading bunker players?

Remarkably, Woods has had six back surgeries, which are merely part of a much longer list concerning his entire body.

However, he has managed to come back time and again, much to the delight of his fans and the golfing world in general.

He famously emerged victorious at The Masters at Augusta National in 2019, just two years after a spinal fusion surgery.

Fortunately he has been able to show his face and his game this season, having taken part in the inaugural TGL.

But the indoor league is where Woods’ appearances have been limited to, and it remains to be seen if he can play an official PGA Tour event.

Moreover, getting out of the bunker is a key skill required on many courses, meaning Woods already has a disadvantage compared to his rivals should he find the sand.

Sand save percentage was, however, not exactly his greatest skill early in his career, with Woods ranking all the way down in 51st place for that stat in the 2000 PGA Tour season, widely regarded as his best campaign.

He recorded 63 saves from 110 bunkers for a figure of 57.27%, with Fred Couples having topped the pile at the turn of the century with his total of 66.99%.