LIV Golf Winner Out For Rest Of Year After Undergoing Back Surgery

Abraham Ancer at LIV Golf Andalucia — Abraham Ancer has undergone back surgery

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LIV Golfer Abraham Ancer has revealed he has undergone surgery to address a long-standing back injury.

The Torque GC player started all 12 of LIV Golf’s tournaments in 2026, making five top-five finishes. Despite that solid form, which saw him finish 12th in the individual standings, Ancer explained he has been managing the problem for years.

In an Instagram post accompanied by an image of Ancer at the hospital, he wrote: “ For the last few years, I’ve been playing through back pain and trying to find ways to manage it, hoping I could keep playing and make it work.

“With the help of Christian (my PT) and my team I was able to produce solid seasons and delay this decision as long as I did. Deep down I knew it wasn’t going to be sustainable for the long term.

“While I made every effort to avoid it, it became apparent that surgery was the only option.”

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Following the conclusion of the 2025 LIV Golf season, Ancer played twice on the Asian Tour and in the DP World Tour’s two events in Australia at the end of the year.

However, because of the decision not to hold off the inevitable any longer, Ancer will not play again this year.

Instead, he intends to use his recovery time to prioritize his long-term health.

He added: “As much as I love playing and would like to keep going the rest of the year, I made the difficult decision to step away and take care of myself. It wasn’t an easy choice, but I know it’s the right one for my long-term health.

The former World No.11, who joined LIV Golf in 2022, also vowed to come back stronger than ever.

Abraham Ancer with the LIV Golf Hong Kong trophy — Abraham Ancer has won once since joining LIV Golf

He wrote: “I’m looking forward to this next phase of my career.

“Today I'm focused on giving myself the time I need to heal and rehab as I work to return to the game I love. I’m going to do everything I can to come back stronger and healthier. I believe my best golf is yet to come.”

He concluded: “A huge thank you to Dr. Michael Duffy and the entire staff at Baylor Uptown Medical Center for taking such great care of me during the procedure and throughout my recovery so far. I’m very grateful to be in such good hands. For now, it’s one day at a time.”

Ander has one LIV Golf victory, which came at its Hong Kong tournament in 2024.

Mike has over 25 years of experience in journalism, including writing on a range of sports throughout that time, such as golf, football and cricket. Now a freelance staff writer for Golf Monthly, he is dedicated to covering the game's most newsworthy stories.

He has written hundreds of articles on the game, from features offering insights into how members of the public can play some of the world's most revered courses, to breaking news stories affecting everything from the PGA Tour and LIV Golf to developmental Tours and the amateur game.

Mike grew up in East Yorkshire and began his career in journalism in 1997. He then moved to London in 2003 as his career flourished, and nowadays resides in New Brunswick, Canada, where he and his wife raise their young family less than a mile from his local course.

Kevin Cook’s acclaimed 2007 biography, Tommy’s Honour, about golf’s founding father and son, remains one of his all-time favourite sports books.