The golf world is not exempt from April Fools, and Tiger Woods decided to get in on the fun this year as he recovers from surgery to repair a ruptured Achilles tendon.
On Tuesday, the 15-time major champion claimed his doctors cleared him to play in the 2025 Masters thanks to “explosive lifts” and a lot of time in the “hyperbaric chamber.”
I can’t believe I am saying this, but a few weeks after rupturing my left Achilles, the sleeping in a hyperbaric chamber plus the explosive lifts my doctors and trainers have me ready to play the Masters next week! Can’t wait! See y’all on the course.
— Tiger Woods (@TigerWoods) April 1, 2025
While it was an obvious prank, not everyone got the memo initially, as CNBC’s Squawk Box discussed Woods’ release as legitimate news before eventually catching on.
Tiger Woods just pulled off the ultimate April Fools’ prank, and the CNBC Squawk Box crew fell for it for a second. 😂 pic.twitter.com/kxDRciPTaa
— GOLF.com (@GOLF_com) April 1, 2025
Just six minutes after firing off the joke, Woods made sure everyone understood that he won’t be playing at Augusta National this year as he starts his road to recovery.
Woods announced he ruptured his left Achilles tendon on March 11 and had a “minimally invasive” procedure to repair the ruptured tendon. The timeline for Woods’ return to competition is unclear.
P.S. April Fools my Achilles is still a mess 🙂 https://t.co/H1Y1AOgn2v
— Tiger Woods (@TigerWoods) April 1, 2025
Last year, Bernhard Langer tore his left Achilles while playing pickelball and returned three months later to play on the Champions Tour. Langer told the Champions Tour that he had the same “SpeedBridge” procedure as quarterback Aaron Rodgers, which allows for immediate weight-bearing and range of motion to fast-track the recovery process.
This is just the latest in a long line of surgeries for Woods.
In September, he had the sixth surgery on his back to deal with a nerve impingement. He did not play in the Hero World Challenge, which he hosts, but did tee it up in the PNC Championship alongside his son Charlie in December.
Woods played in four TGL matches this year. He was slated to play in the Genesis Invitational, but the unexpected passing of his mother Tida forced him to withdraw. Woods said he did not pick up a club for weeks after her passing, except to play with President Donald Trump to discuss the PGA Tour’s ongoing negotiations with LIV’s financiers, the Saudi Public Investment Fund. He also played in the Seminole Pro-Member.
Woods was ramping up his training for the Masters when he ruptured his Achilles.
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