Tiger Woods has 'successful' ankle surgery after withdrawing from Masters

Tiger Woods this year equalled the Masters record set by Gary Player and Fred Couples of 23 consecutive cuts made

Tiger Woods has had "successful" ankle fusion surgery following his recent withdrawal from the Masters.

The 15-time major winner pulled out during the third round at Augusta after reaggravating a heel pain problem.

He had an operation on Wednesday in New York to correct an arthritis issue from a previous ankle fracture.

Woods is now a huge doubt for next month's US PGA Championship being held at Oak Hill Country Club in Rochester from 18-21 May.

The US Open in Los Angeles starts on 16 June while The Open begins on 20 July at Royal Liverpool, where Woods won the most recent of his three Claret Jugs in 2006.

"Earlier today, Tiger underwent a subtalar fusion procedure to address his post-traumatic arthritis from his previous talus fracture," said a statement on Woods' social media channels.

"It was performed by Dr Martin O'Malley at HSS Sports Medicine Institute in New York. He has determined the surgery to be successful. Tiger is recovering and looks forward to beginning his rehabilitation."

The ankle problem is the latest in a line of setbacks for Woods, who feared his leg would have to be amputated because of the serious injuries he suffered in a car accident in Los Angeles in February 2021.

He made the cut at the Masters earlier this month, but was six over par after seven holes of his third round, sitting last of the 54 remaining players, before the injury forced him to withdraw, amid cold, wet and windy conditions that delayed play and would have left him needing to play 29 holes on the final day.