Tiger Woods sympathizes with Olympic girlfriend Lindsey Vonn's knee surgery ordeal, telling NBCSports.com of having to undergo two procedures on the same right knee in a matter of months is "tough."

Vonn, 29, recently announced she will not be defending her downhill skiing gold medal at next month's Sochi Olympics and instead would be undergoing season ending surgery on the same knee she originally hurt in February of 2012.

Woods told NBC he and his girlfriend had planned on sharing the Olympic experience together, now if that is to ever be it will have to be at the Rio Games in 2016.

"I've been through it, only a slightly different version," Woods said of knee surgery. "I've never had to do it twice like this, a total reconstruction of the ACL and having been shut down for such long periods of time. ... I only had to shut down a couple months. ... But to do it again, it's tough."

Still, Woods stressed he is proud of his 29-year-old girlfriend and feels the feats she's already accomplished puts her in rare company.

"The fact that she already has a gold medal and no one can ever take it away from her," whether she competes this year or competes four years from now," he said of what already separates her from many of her peers.