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2016 PGA Tour injury roundup

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Navigating the matrix of priority order and medical extensions on the PGA Tour is difficult. PGATour.com’s Rob Bolton is the reigning expert, and is always the man to follow for the nitty gritty of status and exemptions.

Less difficult than determining what a player needs to do to qualify for a particular extension or conditional status, however, is discussing why players are in such a position (usually).

With that in mind, here are a few of the major injuries on the PGA Tour and how long players have been out with a mind toward their status situations.

Jim Furyk (Wrist), September 2015

JimFuryk

At the beginning of February, Jim Furyk’s agency announced he will have surgery on injured left wrist and miss three months, although the planned date of surgery wasn’t shared. After playing through pain at the end of 2015, Furyk passed on the Tour Championship, Presidents Cup, and Hyundai Tournament of Champions in an attempt to heal his “bone bruise.”

“While I am disappointed that the wrist has not healed sufficiently for me to return to play, I am confident that the surgery at this point is the best course of action, and will get me back in the shortest possible time,” Furyk said in a statement. “This has been frustrating for me to this point, but I am focusing on an aggressive rehabilitation program and having a strong year once I am sufficiently healed.”

Tiger Woods (Back), September 2015

Tiger Woods had back surgery in mid-September and a follow-up to that operation in late October. At that time, there was no timetable for his return to the Tour, and he confirmed that status at his Hero World Challenge in December, saying:

“There’s really nothing I can look forward to, nothing I can build towards. It’s literally just day by day and week by week and time by time. Where is the light at the end of the tunnel? I don’t know.”

Kevin Stadler (Hand), October 2015

Another golfer missing in action: Kevin Stadler. The Baby Walrus teed it up just three times in 2015 before being sidelined by a broken bone in his hand. We haven’t heard anything since the John Deere Classic last year, and thus don’t know how the injury is healing or when he plans to return. It’s worth noting that he’s exempt through the end of this season, thanks to his 2014 WMPO win.

John Peterson (Hand), December 2015

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Another hand injury: John Peterson first injured his club-holding apparatus at the Valero Texas Open last year and tried various remedies for the pain throughout the rest of the season. In late January, he ominously tweeted that he’d be watching the 2015-2016 season from the sidelines following a December hand surgery.

Chris Couch (Back), 2012

Remember Chris Couch? The famous cross-handed chipper herniated disks in his lower back in 2012. He hasn’t made a start since then and has recently transitioned to golf coaching (at least part time). He needs to make more than $300K this season under his Major Medical Extension to retain his status, but it doesn’t look likely that he’ll put a peg in the ground this year.

Will Claxton (Hip), February 2014

Will Claxton has been MIA since February of 2014 when he missed the cut at the AT&T National Pro-Am. He’s radio silent on the social media front, maintaining no accounts, and he doesn’t have a website, so it’s unclear what his status is. According to RotoWorld, Claxton has “12 starts on his medical extension in the reshuffle category to collect $655,459 or 385.66 FedExCup points for a promotion to the Major Medical category.”

Briny Baird (Back), June 2014

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Briny Baird hasn’t played on Tour since June 2014 because of a back injury. Considering that he’s banked more than $13 million in his career and his age (43), it’s possible he’ll be spending more of his time in P.F. Chang’s dining room than Tour fairways in the time ahead. Baird only needs to bank $96K in nine starts to retain status, so he doesn’t have a great deal of work to do in the event of a return.

Lee Williams (Back), July 2014

Lee Williams had only recently snagged his Tour card when a back injury derailed him. He hasn’t teed it up since the FedEx St. Jude Classic in 2014. According to RotoWorld, Williams “will have six events during the 2015-16 PGA Tour season as part of the top finishers from Web.com Tour Medical to earn 364 FedEx Cup points or $646,270.”

Bobby Gates (Hip), July 2014

Bobby Gates told fans in September of 2015 that he’d underwent hip surgery. The Texas A&M grad hadn’t competed since the Travelers Championship in June of 2014. He needs to bank $701,426 in five starts for a promotion to Major Medical, so he’ll want to be firing on all cylinders when he makes a return.

Ted Potter Jr. (Ankle), August 2014

Ted Potter Jr. fell outside of his hotel following the RBC Canadian Open, saying: “I slipped on a curb, rolled my ankle over and busted it up pretty good.” Expected recovery time from the surgery was slated at three months, but he’s yet to return to competition. However, as RotoWorld indicated, “He’s only 11.677 FedExCup points from qualifying for conditional status, which one 59th-place finish would achieve, so it’s not like he’s not motivated to give it a go sooner than later.”

Patrick Cantlay (Back), November 2014

Former amateur standout Patrick Cantlay suffered a hairline fracture of his L5 vertebrae in May of 2013. His only effort last year was an unsuccessful attempt to qualify for the U.S. Open, and it’s unclear what’s going on with the California native. According to RotoWorld, “He still has 10 starts on a medical extension in the reshuffle category to bank $624,746 or 389.15 FedEx Cup points for a promotion to the Major Medical category.”

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3 Comments

3 Comments

  1. Woodlands Barbershop Dennie

    Feb 19, 2016 at 10:10 am

    Anthony Kim hurt his nose many years ago and might not come back ever.

  2. Double Mocha Man

    Feb 12, 2016 at 11:59 am

    I follow baseball and football and am always taking note of their injury lists. Never really thought about that for golf. Thanks for the info. In baseball (collisions, beanings, slides, etc.) and football (collisions, tackles, head injuries) the players are generally injured by other players. In golf you injure yourself.

  3. Jon

    Feb 11, 2016 at 3:07 pm

    How about Anthony Kim?

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