Woods delayed knee surgery after winning 2018 Tour Championship

Tiger Woods delayed surgery on his left knee after winning the 2018 Tour Championship and played all of last season while dealing with the ailment.

"I was intending to actually get it done last year after the Hero World Challenge," Tiger revealed Sunday at his Japan Skins press conference. "And because I played well in the playoffs and won the Tour Championship, I figured I'd keep rolling with it."

Woods wanted to keep his strong play going for the Farmers Insurance Open at Torrey Pines and wouldn't have been able to tee it up had he underwent surgery in December 2018.

But the decision to delay the surgery impacted his 2018-19 season, especially on the greens late in the year.

"It got to where it was affecting the way I read putts," Woods explained. "You could see it towards the end of the year where I wasn't getting down on my putts well."

Though the issue lingered for most of last season, Woods said his recovery from a fifth surgery on his left knee is ahead of schedule - largely because he failed to qualify for the Tour Championship and secure a chance to defend his title.

The 43-year-old will make his 2019-20 season debut this week at the Zozo Championship in Japan.