A month ago, Tiger Woods sat in the stands before the Genesis Invitational and gave the golf world a jolt – something to potentially look for on the horizon.
Woods, who underwent surgery to replace a medial disc in October that followed surgery to repair a ruptured Achilles tendon in March, was asked if playing in the 2026 Masters was “off the table” for him as he continues to rehabilitate.
“No,” Woods said slyly Riviera Country Club. He later told CBS’ Jim Nantz and Trevor Immelman as much there was a real chance he would come back IN Augusta National. He said he’ll be in Augusta for it open Patch and enjoy Rory McIlroy’s Champions Dinner and I was hoping to eat it a few days after that ceremonial meal.
But with the Masters now just 22 days away, Woods was asked for an update on his progress after winning the Jupiter Links TGL on Tuesday. Woods, who teased his potential comeback four weeks ago, was replaced by one that offered a more realistic picture of where he stands in his recovery at age 50 after seven back surgeries and several other procedures.
“I said I’ve been working on it,” Woods said. “Sometimes I have good days, sometimes I have bad days. Having a disc replaced is not a lot of fun. So is Zalatoris going to get through it, he had two levels done and it takes time. Like I said, I had a lot of procedures before that, so the body doesn’t heal like it did when I was 24. Can’t I do anything good when I can do a lot of other hard days. just to move around.”
A month ago, Nantz and Immelman asked Woods if he would try to play a tournament before the Masters as preparation, if his body felt ready. At the time, Woods said he was unsure whether he would make it to a PGA Tour Champions event or a regular PGA Tour event. He hoped it would be a realistic possibility, but the 50-year-old would leave that decision to his body.
TGL presents Woods with a potential opportunity to test the back without having to walk 18 holes. Woods, who has attended every Jupiter match as captain, was asked if he could make it into next week’s TGL finals against Los Angeles Golf Club.
One might expect Woods to give a vague answer to at least attract more interest in the championship round of the simulator league. But the 15-time major winner said he planned to leave it to Max Homa, Tom Kim, Akshay Bhatia and Kevin Kisner to bring home the SoFi Cup.
“I think I’ve tried to play every one of these matches,” Woods said. “I’ve been trying to come back. But it just hasn’t worked out that way. I had a bad run of injuries last year. I think it’s been a year and a few days since I blew out my Achilles. And so then I had two back surgeries. So it’s been a little bit tough. But the guys here, this team, we don’t want to have too much fun, I really just want to keep the line. playing.”
