Tiger Woods could play golf as early as next month.
The former world No.1 golfer spoke to the sport’s media Tuesday, ahead of the Hero World Challenge, which is a tournament he hosts every year in December at the 7,414-yard, par-72 Albany Golf Course in The Bahamas.
Woods typically competes at the tournament himself but told reporters this week that he’s not yet “tournament sharp.” Elaborating, he said: “These are 20 of the best players in the world and I’m not sharp enough to compete against them at this level.”
Woods confirmed he wouldn’t compete this week in a post on X last month.
When Tiger Woods Could Next Play Golf
Woods could compete in January, 2025
Woods is not competing because of recent physical ailments, including back surgery from which he continues to recover from. He’s had back issues throughout the year, and said Tuesday that “it just continued getting worse” from the start of 2024 onwards.
He said: “I didn’t think my back was going to go like it did. It was quite painful through the end of the year, and thus I had another procedure done to it to alleviate the pain going down my leg. I’m trying to rehab it … to give myself the best chance I can going into next year.”
Woods is the most famous name in his sport, and one of the most famous in all sports, thanks to his 15 major championship wins, 82 wins on the PGA Tour, and a rarified billionaire status for an athlete.
But his story is also one that cannot be told without mentioning an incident in 2021 that saw him taken to hospital, after he was involved in a car crash, and had to go through surgery to repair fractures in his right leg, together with a broken ankle. He said at the time it was likely he’d struggle to play golf competitively again. Surgeries through the years have alleviated some of the pain, and issues he has while standing, walking, and golfing.
Though he will not compete at this weekend’s Hero World Challenge, there is an off-chance he could play in TGL — a new golf league formed by himself, as well as Rory McIlroy, in partnership with the PGA Tour. TGL is a league that pits teams of three against each other in two-hour matches at a custom-built venue that merges real-world golf with technology with simulation. TGL golf is due to begin January 7.
Woods could also compete in the PNC Championship because that tournament does permit the use of golf carts, which is something that Woods could benefit from, considering the issues he’s had playing four-day tournament golf while constantly on his feet, walking a course. The PNC Championship is even sooner than TGL, as it takes place December 19 to 22 in Orlando, Florida.
