Steve Stricker underwent back surgery on Tuesday to “relieve issues stemming from acute and chronic L5 radiculopathy.”
The 47-year-old had been experiencing hip and quad problems in 2014 thanks to a bulging disc and took three months off following the PGA Championship. Stricker did play the Hero World Challenge and Franklin Templeton Shootout in Decemember before opting for surgery.
The one-hour outpatient procedure was performed University of Wisconsin Hospital in Madison. Stricker will rest and rehab for the next six weeks and should be able to practice without restriction after eight weeks.
“I’m very excited to get back to practicing and competing in 2015 and expect to be 100 percent physically which really excites me,” he said in a statement.
Now a PGA Tour part-timer, Stricker played only 12 official events in 2014, with his injury further limiting his already limited schedule.
“I’ve been limited the last several years and I’m confident the procedure will allow me to perform at the level I expect from myself,” he said. “I don’t have a target date for a return to the PGA TOUR at this point, that will very much depend on how my body responds to the surgery and rehab.”
