Tiger Woods' close friend gives alarming update on stricken golf legend's fight to save his career

It appears that golf icon Tiger Woods is having a tough time with the latest surgery he's undergone to fix his back.

Woods, the legendary 15-time major winner, has not played a round on the PGA Tour since the 2024 Open Championship at Royal Troon.

While that could be changing soon, close friend and confidant Notah Begay III believes that Woods' days of competing are numbered.

Begay, who has been friends with Woods since junior golf, revealed to the 'Straight Facts Homie!' podcast that the 49-year-old is struggling with walking on the course.

This comes just over a month after Woods underwent surgery to replace the L4-L5 disc on his lumbar spine.

In light of that, Begay believes that there are two possible and unlikely tournaments where Woods could mark his return.

Begay told podcast host Trey Wingo that Woods could make his return at either the Charles Schwab Challenge at Colonial Country Club in Fort Worth, Texas or at the RBC Heritage - held at Harbour Town Golf Links on Hilton Head Island in South Carolina.

Woods has never won at either course, but Begay says the geography would help the golfer walk all 72 holes.

'I think there's a couple venues that could accommodate his current physical condition,' Begay said on the podcast.

'I think the biggest problem, in the conversations that I've had with him, is the walking. That's it.

'He hits it great, he's in tremendous physical condition. His ball speeds are fast enough, they're 175-180 which is adequate for the PGA Tour. It's just can he walk 72 holes plus a pro-am? I don't know, and that's kind of the big question.

'So I think that a major championship venue with flatter terrain. Hilton Head with flatter terrain, Colonial with flatter terrain might be targets.'

Begay added, 'And those are venues that he's never typically played at. He's played Colonial once and never went back. And I don't think he's ever been to Hilton Head. So I think those are two things that you may see at some point.'

But it begs the question: if Woods is in such pain when walking, why would he even consider competing? It turns out, the golfer hopes to finally make history he's been chasing this whole time.

'In his heart-of-hearts, 83 is a big number. It's an important number,' said Begay - referring to the number of victories Woods needs to break a tie with Sam Snead for the most in PGA Tour history.

However, if Woods truly cannot walk anymore, Begay notes 'we're also dying to see him on the Champions Tour, where he can take a cart!'

Of course, Woods could always return to Augusta National and The Masters in April. It's important to note that the Heritage takes place the following week.

The surgery Woods underwent in October is his second procedure on his back in just over a year.

Moreover, Woods had to pull out of competing in the inaugural season of TGL after he ruptured his left Achilles tendon in March.

While he's been seen taking swings in videos posted to his social media accounts, it's not clear when he'll be ready to mark his return to the course for competition.