Tiger Woods is pulling double duty this week in the Bahamas as both tournament host and competitor at the Hero World Challenge. The “unofficial” PGA Tour event marks Woods’ first competitive golf since April when he withdrew from the third round of the Masters due to severe pain in his foot and ankle.
On Tuesday, Woods addressed reporters for the first time since he departed Augusta National. “I don’t have any of the pain that I had at Augusta or pre-that in my ankle,” Woods said during his press conference at the event, which features a limited 20-person field. Woods underwent fusion surgery after the Masters to address arthritis he suffered after a 2021 car accident that sidelined him from golf for more than a year.
“My game feels rusty; I haven’t played in a while,” Woods said. But when the soon-to-be 48-year-old was asked if he can still win tournaments, he didn’t hesitate, saying, “Absolutely.”
The 15-time major winner said he hoped to play “maybe a tournament a month” in 2024 and cited the Genesis International at The Riviera Country Club in Los Angeles as a possible spot to start his year, as he did in 2023. “Now, I need to get myself ready for all that,” Woods said. “I think this week is a big step in that direction.”
It has been a long time since Woods played professional golf monthly. He played a dozen events during the 2019-20 season and seven the following year, but this week will only mark his third tournament of 2023, the same number of events he competed in each of the previous two seasons. Woods, along with 14-year-old son Charlie, is scheduled to compete in the PNC Championship in December at Ritz-Carlton Golf Club in Orlando. It will be the fourth straight year they’ve competed in the parent-child competition, with their best finish a runner-up in 2021 behind John Daly and John Daly II.
Woods will need to find a new caddie for 2024, as his longtime caddie, Joe LaCava, moved over to Patrick Cantlay’s bag earlier this year. Friend and business partner Rob McNamara will handle the duties in the Bahamas.
Woods had not spoken to reporters since the Tour announced its stunning agreement to combine its commercial operations with the LIV Tour and DP World Tour with backing from the Saudi Arabia’s Public Investment Fund.
“I was very surprised that the process was what it was,” Woods said during his press conference regarding the June 6 merger announcement. “We were very frustrated with what happened, and we took steps going forward to ensure that we were not going to be left out of the process like we were.”
In August, Woods joined the PGA Tour policy board for the first time, becoming a sixth player director. The players and commissioner Jay Monahan are expected to amend the board’s governing documents, so no major decisions can be made in the future without the players’ input.
In November, Woods was announced as the co-owner of the sixth and final TGL club, along with David Blitzer of the Florida-based team, called Jupiter Links Golf Club. The new Monday night golf league developed by Woods and Rory McIlroy’s TMRW Sports was set to tee off in January, but its debut was pushed to 2025 after a construction setback.
Despite the injuries that have kept him off the course, Woods remains an incredibly popular pitchman with sponsors that include Nike, Bridgestone, Hero, Kowa, Monster Energy and TaylorMade. Among active athletes, only LeBron James earns more than Tiger from endorsements.
