Lanto Griffin likely out until 2023 after back surgery
Lanto Griffin’s season – and likely year – is over.
Griffin announced Wednesday that he underwent a microdiscectomy on Tuesday to repair a ruptured disc in his lower back, and the recovery will keep him away from the PGA Tour for a minimum of five to six months.
The news comes as Griffin currently sits 65th in the FedExCup standings. The top 70 after the opening playoff event in Memphis advance to the BMW Championship, though Griffin revealed he had not been able to pick up a golf club since missing the cut at the John Deere Classic, his third straight missed cut.
Griffin said he initially ruptured his L5-S1 disc, also called the lumbosacral joint, in May 2020, but it ruptured again, and more severely, last January while Griffin was picking up his dog, Troy.
“This was a very hard decision with the FedExCup Playoffs a few weeks away,” Griffin wrote. “I’ve battled through a lot of flare-ups since January and living with intense nerve pain for the past two months without relief. Since John Deere I haven’t been able to swing a club period, so it made the decision an easy one.”
While his timetable for a competitive return will likely keep him out until next year, Griffin said he could be swinging a club within two to three months. He said he woke up after surgery with no nerve pain down his right glute and hamstring.
“Can’t wait ‘til the day I can swing a club and put socks on without pain,” Griffin added.