Tiger Woods made one thing quite clear:
He wants to play the Masters.
There was plenty to discuss as Woods took to the podium ahead of this week The invitation of Genesis. We’ve become accustomed to these updates on Tiger’s condition, which come twice a year on the Tuesday morning before the Hero World Challenge and the Genesis Invitational, the two tournaments Woods serves as host. The biggest reveal was expected to be something — anything — about the mysterious new schedule that Woods, Tour CEO Brian Rolapp and various actors have been cooking. in He did hear about it; Woods was in a jovial and relatively straightforward mood, and we’ll break it down in a minute.
But there is still one spectacular combination in golf: Tiger Woods and the Masters. And so, when Woods teased him
-He is “trying” to get back into competitive golf
-He can hit all the shots
AND
– The master is not outside the table
it was very easy to read between the lines. Woods’ smile as he confirmed that last part told a fuller story. If he can get his body and his game ready, we can expect to see him at Augusta National.
We didn’t get official confirmation, of course. Woods will likely keep us waiting. But whether he played it would be his first competitive start (not counting the TGL) since the 2024 Open Championship. And it would test his incredible, tournament-record streak of 24 consecutive Masters cuts.
“It’s just one of those things where every day, I keep trying, keep improving, keep working on it, trying to get stronger, trying to get more endurance in this body and trying to get it to a level where I can play at the highest level again,” he said.
Here’s what else we learned from Woods.
1. He’s considering the US Ryder Cup captaincy.
Woods was in a light mood; he laughed when veteran golf writer Geoff Shackelford mentioned his last job as captain of Jupiter Links and used it as a bridge to a question about his potential Ryder Cup captaincy.
“Good connection there. That was good,” Woods said.
But then he answered seriously. In December Woods made it clear that he had not heard from the PGA of America about the role; now it is clear that he has.
“They’ve asked for my input on this and I haven’t made my decision yet,” he said. “I’m trying to figure out what we’re trying to do with our tour. It’s been pushing me hour after hour every day — and (I’ve been) trying to figure out if I can really do Team USA and our players and everybody that’s going to be involved in the Ryder Cup, if I can do it right with my time.
“Serving on two boards and what I’m doing for the PGA Tour, I’m trying to figure out if I can do that and serve the people that are involved and serve them at an honorable level.”
Again, we’re reading between the lines a bit, but it looks like Woods has been unofficially offered the role of US Ryder Cup captain for the 2027 event at Adare Manor in Ireland. The captaincy is a more taxing responsibility than it used to be, and Woods clearly takes that seriously. But the PGA of America also likes plenty of leadership time for its captains, so Woods’ decision will be worth monitoring as his other responsibilities evolve in the coming months.
2. He’s considering the PGA Tour Champions.
Woods was asked how close he is to a possible return to competitive golf – either on the PGA Tour or the Champions over-50 circuit.
“Well, I’m trying, put it that way,” he said. This part is evergreen. But obstacles continue to mount; Woods’ most recent surgery was a disc replacement in mid-October. He has recovered from last year’s Achilles tear but described his ongoing back problems as “challenging”.
Still, there’s at least one reason why the old tour is appealing now that it’s 50 years old:
“Now I’m into a new decade, so that number is starting to go down and (I’m) thinking about the possibility of being able to play in a wheelchair. That’s something that, like I said, I’m not going to do here in this tournament because I don’t believe in it. But in the Champions League, of course that’s a possibility.”
3. A new tour schedule is coming. But maybe not all at once
Woods’ work as chairman of Future Competition Committee sounds like it was… dating.
“I thought I spent a lot of hours practicing at my peak. It doesn’t even compare to what we did in the boardroom,” he said with a laugh.
Woods talked about wanting to “make our tournament better” and “make our product better” and “create the right competitive model” and the challenges of keeping various stakeholders happy in the process.
“I think it’s trying to serve literally everybody, from the player side, from our media partners, from all of our title sponsors, from local communities or even changing locations and going to bigger markets,” he said.
He essentially confirmed reports that potential Tour “improvements” include visiting bigger markets, shortening the season and making many moving parts work together more efficiently. The Tour has telegraphed his intentions to own the wine – to own it NFL offseason would be another way to think about it – and Woods says a more targeted approach makes sense compared to the 10-plus months players would compete in his full-time playing days.
“It was just a different landscape than it is now,” he said.
As for timing, Woods said in December that he wasn’t sure how soon the schedule could be renewed; there are still conflicting visions, existing contracts and a complex web of stakeholders. On Tuesday he admitted he may not be ready for 2027, but some things will be different.
“We would like to see that happen in 2027. We may have to roll it out over a two-year period,” he said. “We may not be able to implement all of it in 2027, but there will definitely be parts of it integrated or changed from what it is now in ’26 to ’27.”
Woods sang the praises of other Policy Board members.
“I was doubtful that we would be in this position where we would be working together like this and operating at a level to make our product better. But everybody is. Everybody is trying to make the PGA Tour the best tour in the world,” he said.
4. Riviera could take a whole new slot on the schedule
Among the most intriguing rumors surrounding the schedule is a possible change to the West Coast Swing. This year’s schedule features iconic Pebble Beach and Riviera back-to-back venues – but Pebble was wet and Riviera is cold and wet.
Perhaps the inclement weather made it a particularly opportune time to ask Woods about the possibility of a late summer move.
“Well, I think, one, you’re going to have weather not like this. That’s number one. We’re going to have perfect days. It’s always perfect in SoCal here in August,” he said. “So yeah, we’re looking at things like that, looking to go into bigger markets later in the year for the playoffs. Just trying to improve our competitive model and how to do that. I think that’s one of the options, with Genesis. That’s certainly on the table.”
Directly after Woods’ presser, he was joined by José Munoz, president and CEO of Genesis, who announced that their partnership would be extended to 2030. Munoz added that the brand was planning to consider a possible date change.
“I think it’s a possibility,” he said. “We’re very open-minded and willing to improve things.”
There are various moving parts, including the 2027 US Open at Pebble Beach and the 2028 Riviera Olympic golf competition, but Woods suggested creative solutions are on the table.
“Whatever it looks like, whether it’s us staying here in southern California, whether it’s us staying here at this time and date or we move to August or some other time, we’re looking at everything. It changes from day to day, so if you ask me tomorrow, that could change,” he said.
5. Woods celebrated Anthony Kim’s comeback
Woods has been working full-time on the future of the PGA Tour, so it’s rare for him to talk much about LIV’s golf tournaments. But he was asked on Tuesday about Anthony Kim, who completed an unlikely comeback with a win at LIV Adelaide over the weekend.
“He had so much natural talent. He could hit any shot he wanted,” Woods said, reflecting on a younger Kim. “Then to see him struggle in life and not really want to play golf, not want to be a part of golf, and for him to come all the way back and for him to win and be as devoted as he is to his family, it’s a story that you just have to wrap your heart around because of the struggles.
“We can all relate to the struggles. We all struggle in life. The longer it goes, the harder you’ve been. But for him to struggle and for Anthony to get to where he is, from the low he was at, it’s something that, like I said, you just have to wrap your heart around.”
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