Golf fans spot staggering detail in new photo of Tiger Woods

The extent of the surgery performed on the right leg of golfing legend Tiger Woods has come to light in a photo of the 46-year-old from a junior event last weekend.

Having opted to skip the U.S. Open in favour of a tilt at The Open at St Andrews later this year, Woods attended a Father's Day weekend junior tournament with his son Charlie.

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Woods chose not to wear a leg sleeve he has regularly sported since having major surgery on his right leg in February, which was required after he crashed his car down an embankment in 2021.

This gave golf fans arguably their first clean look at the damage Woods' right leg took, with doctors at one point questioning if the leg would have to be amputated.

Instead, Woods underwent several intensive surgeries, ultimately making the cut at both the Masters and PGA Championship earlier this year in a stirring comeback.

The picture, in which Woods poses with a young fan, shows heavy scarring on his right leg, as well as significantly reduced muscle mass in his calf.

His right leg also appears to be slightly out of shape in comparison to his uninjured left leg.

Woods' impressive performances at the Masters and PGA Championship came a staggering 14 months after his accident, with fans pondering how long it might take Woods to regain championship-level form if h was already at such a high level.

Many other fans were simply shocked by the extent of the damage and scarring on Woods' right leg.

Tiger Woods earns billionaire status after golf comeback

Woods is a three-time US Open champion, with the last of those titles coming in 2008 at Torrey Pines when he defied a left knee injury to win in a play-off.

This will be the sixth time in the last 12 years that Woods doesn't play the US Open.

He last played in 2020 at Winged Foot and missed the cut.

Now sitting at World No.881 in the world rankings, Woods previously came back after undergoing spinal fusion surgery in 2017 to win his most recent major title at the Masters three years ago.

The 15-times major winner, who returned to competition at the Masters in April 14 months after nearly losing his right leg in a car crash, has made over $1.7 billion ($A2.4 million) in prize money, endorsements and other ventures, according to Forbes business magazine.

Woods is tied with Sam Snead for the most wins on the PGA Tour with 82, but Forbes said his winnings from the golf account formed less than 10 per cent of his career earnings, with the bulk of his net worth attributed to endorsements with brands like Nike and Rolex.

The 46-year-old has achieved billionaire status despite not being involved in the Saudi-backed LIV Golf Invitational Series.

Earlier this month, LIV Golf CEO Greg Norman told the Washington Post that Woods had turned down an offer that was "mind-blowingly enormous" in the high nine figures.

Six-times NBA champion Jordan was the first athlete to reach the milestone, and was joined by four-times NBA champion LeBron James just last week, after the magazine estimated the Los Angeles Lakers player's worth at $1 billion ($A1.4 billion).

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