Tiger Woods will have knee surgery to repair his anterior cruciate ligament in his left knee. The operation is a season-ender for the golf champ, who tried to play disregarding the pain even after he ruptured the ligament last summer. Furthermore, it appears that he suffered an additional double stress fracture of his left tibia.

Tiger Woods thus managed to win the U.S. Open at Torrey Pines, going 91 holes over five days, despite being severely injured. It appears he had hoped to finish the entire 2008 season on that crippled leg, but things didn't quite work out, expectedly.

Recovery from the surgery will take up to eight months, according to statements from his swing coach, Hank Haney, who told AP that Woods is going to come back better than he's ever been after his full recovery. Tiger Woods is expected to miss the British Open next month, the PGA Championship in August and the Ryder Cup in September.

It appears that Woods' left leg is not quite up to his tremendous energy. This would make the surgery the third in five years on that same leg.

Tiger Woods, whose birth name was Eldrick Tont Woods, is married to Elin Nordegren Woods, a former Swedish model. They married in 2004 and have a daughter, Sam Alexis Woods.