Ryan Lavner suggests what surprised him about Tiger Woods after he withdrew from the Hero World Challenge

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Heading into the 2025 season, there are all kinds of question marks surrounding how much Tiger Woods is going to be able to play after a frustrating 2024 for the 15-time major champion.

Tiger Woods was only able to tee it up five times throughout the 2024 season, with four of those appearances coming at the majors. While there were promising signs over the first two rounds at the Masters, the scheduling of the event appeared to take a real toll on the 48-year-old and he ultimately finished last of those who made the cut.

Unfortunately, he would be less successful in his final three events of the year. And after The Open Championship, Woods underwent surgery with the hope of returning for the Hero World Challenge this month.

Of course, it is a tournament Woods hosts. And it would have perhaps been an ideal opportunity for Woods to test himself ahead of 2025. However, ahead of the event, Woods announced he would not be involved as his body is not at the level where he needs it to be.

Ryan Lavner surprised by Tiger Woods after he withdrew from the Hero World Challenge

And speaking on the Golf Channel Podcast, Ryan Lavner suggested that he was almost surprised to hear just how much he was struggling in 2024.

“I was struck Rex, in him talking about his back, it certainly seemed more serious than he had let on during the summer,” he said.

“So much focus was can he walk the 72 holes? How’s his ankle? How’s his foot? I understand the kinetic chain and the impact that that can have across the course of the year, but I didn’t really have any inkling that this was a serious issue for Tiger in which he was having pain down his legs, that any and all treatments failed to bring him any sort of relief or comfort.

“He called the year a ‘toss-away’ which, when you look at his results, certainly was the case. He made the cut at the Masters, then finished last of those who made the field. Missed three consecutive cuts at the PGA, the US Open and The Open Championship. Withdrew from the Genesis due to that mysterious flu during the second round. You really can’t afford toss-aways when you’re Tiger Woods, 48, soon to be 49 with a body as beat up as his.”

How many surgeries Woods has had since winning the US Open in 2008

It certainly seems fair to say that most would have called it a day had their body been put through what Woods’ has over the last 16 years. Unfortunately, he seems to have pushed himself through the pain barrier on a consistent basis.

Famously, Woods won the 2008 US Open on essentially a broken leg. Meanwhile, he managed to put a decade of setbacks to one side to win the Masters in 2019 in one of the most incredible victories the game has seen.

That will give fans hope that there is still a chance that Woods can get back to being competitive at some stage in the future. But clearly, it is getting harder and harder for Woods to get his body into a position where he can play at the highest level.