Ernie Els should be able to swing a golf club again in about eight weeks, according to his surgeon. Els, 35, is out for the season after injuring knee ligaments while on a sailing holiday last week.
He has already had one operation and a further procedure in about two weeks' time will use material from Els' hamstring tendons to rebuild the knee.
"He should be able to play gentle golf at 8-10 weeks and professional golf by 16 weeks," said surgeon Andrew Unwin.
Els, the world number three, was swimming with his children in the Mediterranean when his foot was caught and he twisted, rupturing his anterior cruciate ligament (ACL).
Unwin, from the Princess Margaret Hospital in Windsor, performed the initial keyhole surgery on Els' left knee last Thursday.
He will wait until the swelling subsides and the South African regains a full range of movement before carrying out the second operation.
Unwin told Els' official website: "ACL ruptures in themselves do not cause pain, except in the first few weeks after the injury.
"The main problem without an ACL is that the knee is unstable on pivoting. Activities such as running and cycling are usually possible without too much trouble.
"For the first six weeks or so after the operation the knee needs to be mobilised quite carefully as the graft construct is somewhat weak over this period.
"Ernie will spend a great deal of time at the gym mobilising the knee and once the wounds are healed, using a pool to regain his muscle strength.
"After this Ernie can start to pivot on the knee at about six weeks, and hopefully can pick up a golf club at about eight weeks from the operation.
"This compares very favourably with contact sports such as soccer or rugby where a return is delayed for six to nine months.
"Many professional sportsmen and women have returned to a first-class level following a reconstruction.
"A great deal of effort both physically and psychologically is needed, but there's absolutely no reason why professionals cannot return to their pre-existing standard of activity."
A spokesman for Els told BBC Sport he was targeting a return at the South African Open in January 2006.
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Many professional sportsmen and women have returned to a first-class level following a reconstruction