Tiger Woods’ playing schedule is a mystery. But we only got 1 suggestion

Will Tiger Woods play the Masters?

We still don’t know. Woods himself may not know. President Trump has entered his prediction — that Woods will attend but not play — but we’ll continue a time-honored tradition of waiting and speculating in the meantime.

To be clear, it will still be the Masters with or without Woods in the field. Scottie Scheffler will enter as the pre-tournament favorite, Rory McIlroy will enter as the high-profile defending champion and a whole host of talented challengers will enter in strong form, from Tommy Fleetwood to Cameron Young to Matt Fitzpatrick, Xander Schauffele, Ludvig Aberg and more. All of these tournaments will be played whether or not the golfer in red shows up to join them.

But still a half-decade removed from his last trip to the competition, Woods’ inclusion on any course means instant intrigue.

There was some additional intrigue, then, when the exemptions were released Friday for the US Senior Open at Scioto Country Club in Columbus, Ohio. While the USGA did not release the attendees by name, they did respond to a request for Woods’ attendance.

“Tiger has entered the championship, simply to ensure eligibility, but will not make a decision to play until a later date,” the USGA said via email.

So that’s it SOMETHING.

What’s the latest from Woods himself? Well, he tried it on TGL on Tuesday, although he only hit one fist shot while Jupiter Links jumped to the finals. But the fact that he was up for it seemed like an encouraging sign. Here’s what he said after the round:

“I’ve been trying. It’s just, this body is — it’s not recovering like it was when it was 24, 25 years old. That’s not to say I’m not trying. I’ve been trying for a while. I’ve had some bad injuries here over the last few years that I’ve had to deal with and it’s taken me a while.

“But I keep trying. I want to play. I love the tournament. I’ve loved being there since I was 19. It’s very important to me and my family over the years. I’ll be there anyway. Loop that’s going up thereas well as the Champions Dinner.”

And when will he announce this decision?

“I don’t know, we’ll see how it goes,” he said. “I’m going to train, play at home this week and keep trying to make progress.”

Whether or not Woods is ready for the Masters, when might we see him in 2026? Let’s break it down:

The directors?

If there’s one course Woods would flock to, it’s Augusta National. He has done it before. He’s trying to do it again. It’s a tough walk, but it’s familiar territory; he’s been making cuts here for decades through good, bad, and in-between.

What about the other directions? They are still his measuring stick for success. He still dreams of another impossible run. So it’s likely that Woods will try to do it at the PGA (Aronimink, Newtown Square, Pa., May 14-17) or the US Open (Shinnecock Hills, Southampton, NY, June 18-21) or the Open Championship (Royal Birkdale in England, July 16-19). Recent history has shown that he will make these his priorities.

The PGA Tour?

Woods can do it any week he wants on the PGA Tour thanks to lifetime status plus a special exemption category. But his most likely tournament appearance — the Genesis Invitational at Riviera, where he is the tournament host — has come and gone. In recent years Woods has sought to find the balance between competitive reps and preserving his body and has leaned in the latter direction; he has played only two Tour events, Genesis both times, since 2020 (one T45, one WD).

Is it plausible that Woods would add an event in between to help get his game in shape for a major championship? Of course, and we would like to see it. This is simply unprecedented in his post-car crash era.

An earlier version of Woods might have wanted to show it off at the Memorial, his old hunting grounds, two weeks before the US Open at Shinnecock. But would this Woods battle be arguably the toughest test on Tour, with its small fairways, firm greens and brutal rough like a prep week? This seems impossible. There is another possible option, but…

Senior executives?

If you’ve lost track of the main calendar, don’t worry—let’s go over it.

The PGA Senior Championship runs April 16-19 at the Concession in Bradenton, Fla. This is the week after the Masters; Woods won’t play it.

The Regionals are two weeks after that in Birmingham, Ala. but I’d say we’re more likely to see Woods at the Cadillac Championship that week at Trump Doral — but not particularly likely to see him anywhere.

The US Senior Open is the largest and most prestigious of these events and will be played July 2-5; that also puts it two weeks after the US Open and two weeks before the Open, allowing the top-level seniors to do it all. In an optimistic world, that level would include Woods, who values ​​his USGA trophies and values ​​the end of the reserves in his playing career. Registering it shows genuine interest, even if it’s not a guarantee.

The Kaulig Companies Championship is just one week later, July 9-12 at Firestone, Woods’ former domain. no chance.

The ISPS Handa Senior Open is at Gleneagles in Auchterarder, Scotland July 23-26 just one week after the Open. Again, in a vacuum, it’s easy to imagine Woods wanting to play. But this is not a vacuum.

Tournament of Champions?

Woods is eligible. They would love to have it. There are relaxed rules and regulations that will allow it to compete more easily. He has been open to the idea of ​​playing in a golf cart. So where can he appear?

I have no idea – except for a sneaking suspicion that we might see him at the Insperity Invitational at The Woodlands in Texas May 8-10. It is a three-day event. He could take a cart. It’s a week before the PGA Championship, which means it can serve as a tune-up. And, most interestingly, the title sponsor, Insperity, also appeared on his sleeve starting this offseason. So we’ll see…

Next winter?

Before we know it, we’ll be back to asking if it’s possible for Woods to play the World Hero Challenge, or the PNC Championship, and if those things could serve as a springboard for a comeback in 2027.

Golf will keep its doors open. All of them.

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