Tiger Woods Rumors: The 2 Failed Surgeries No One Knew He Had
Newsweek AI is in beta. Translations may contain inaccuracies—please refer to the original content.
Recently, Tiger Woods has been making more frequent public appearances, mostly to support his son Charlie's rising junior golf career.
But while the 15-time major winner looked relatively recovered from his latest Achilles surgery, another rumor has resurfaced over the internet. This time, it is about his hair.
Last week, Dr. Gary Linkov, a certified hair and skin surgeon with over one million YouTube subscribers, disclosed that Woods may have undergone two failed hair transplant surgeries.
He predicted one to be around 2012, while another in 2017, totaling roughly 3,000 grafts to the frontal and mid-scalp.
ORLANDO, FLORIDA - DECEMBER 20: Tiger Woods of the United States looks on during the pro-am prior to the PNC Championship at Ritz-Carlton Golf Club on December 20, 2024 in Orlando, Florida. (Photo by Douglas...
ORLANDO, FLORIDA - DECEMBER 20: Tiger Woods of the United States looks on during the pro-am prior to the PNC Championship at Ritz-Carlton Golf Club on December 20, 2024 in Orlando, Florida. (Photo by Douglas P. DeFelice/Getty Images) More
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To do this, Linkov used over 60 photos of Woods from the past three decades and traced the hair loss timeline. Per his observations, in 1994, Tiger had a full head of curly hair, but by the time the Big Cat won his first Masters (1997), there was "some frontotemporal recession."
Frontotemporal recession is when there is hair loss or thinning at the front and top sides of the head. Usually, it is above the temples.
"It's very mild, but it's clearly there compared to just a few years before," Linkov stated. Following years, there was still thinning of the hairline, but the major difference was spotted in 2006, the year Woods lost his father, Earl Woods.
The 40-year-old surgeon pointed towards Woods' picture from his video game launch in 2006 and described it as "progressive frontal scalp thinning."
#Throwback Tiger Woods in 2006 during the launch of his new 'Tiger Woods PGA Tour 2007' golf video game at Leicester Square, London. pic.twitter.com/bXnhjWlRFC — Devlina Sarkar (@devlinasarkar3) July 11, 2025
Tiger Woods Undergoes First Transplant
Then came 2012, the year of his first suspected transplant.
"Tiger's hairline is looking a bit stronger," Linkov said in his video, adding he saw signs of FUT (Follicular Unit Transplant) scarring on the occipital scalp.
FUT scarring, in simple words, means the mark left on the back of the head after a hair transplant surgery.
The second surgery, according to Linkov, likely occurred in 2017, the same year Woods underwent spinal fusion surgery.
"The primary population of hair in the frontal area is actually the transplanted grafts," Linkov explained. But the results didn't hold.
According to the American doctor, by 2023, Woods' crown thinning had worsened, and Tiger likely didn't pursue much medical therapy after hair transplant (finasteride or minoxidil), which could have helped preserve density.
Reports confirm that 25% of men experience hair loss by age 21, and by age 50, that number jumps to 70%.
Woods, now 49, fits squarely into that curve. And if you skim through his photos from the 1990s to now, the transformation is pretty undeniable.
As of now, the 3-time Open Championship winner is unlikely to return to competitive golf until 2026, as stated by his doctor, Dr. Charlton.
More Golf: Charley Hull collapses at LPGA Major, taken off course by stretcher
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