One year ago this month, Tiger Woods underwent his latest back surgery, beginning a lengthy and difficult recovery process. A lot has happened in Tiger’s life since then, further delaying his return to pro golf.
His PGA Tour comeback was first thwarted on March 27 of last year, when Woods flipped his Range Rover after clipping a trailer near his home in Florida. He was arrested on the scene and charged with DUI, then shortly thereafter announced he was “stepping away” from public life to seek behavioral treatment in Switzerland.
Months passed before Woods re-emerged in public in a short speech at June’s Travelers Championship, supporting the PGA Tour’s sweeping competition changes. We saw him speaking again in late August in a pre-taped message honoring his friend Notah Begay at his Payne Stewart Award ceremony.
In September, Woods’ legal situation was resolved when he made a plea deal with Florida prosecutors, changing his plea to guilty and receiving a five-year suspension of his driver’s license in addition to fines. The plea deal meant Woods would avoid jail time, which was a legitimate possibility. However, it was only this fall that we’ve seen Woods swing a club in public. Just this week, Woods was filmed hitting balls in an exhibition, raising questions about when we might see the 15-time major champion tee it up in a pro tournament again.
Tiger Woods’ swing looks solid in new videos
Earlier this week, Woods hosted the TGR Junior Invitational at Pebble Beach. After the competition concluded, Woods put on an exhibition.
In videos released by TGR Live Events on social media, Woods can be seen hitting multiple smooth iron shots. His swing looks solid, and he showed no signs of pain in the footage that was released.
The caption for the posts read: “Back on your feed, right where this swing belongs. Fresh from today’s exhibition.”
Woods last played in a pro tournament in July 2024, when he missed the cut at the Open Championship. That was one of only five starts Tiger made that season. He missed the cut in two others, withdrew from the Genesis Invitational after the first round and finished 60th at the Masters thanks to a third-round 82.
He made only three starts each in 2023 and 2022 and did not play at all in 2021 following a devastating car crash in California. In the 2019-2020 season, Woods made 10 total starts. Among those was his last win at the Zozo Championship in late 2019. He only missed one cut in that stretch, at the COVID-delayed U.S Open in September of 2020.
When will Tiger Woods return to PGA Tour?
One crucial difference between this potential Tiger return compared to the past is that it’s not based around an injury. Woods was aiming to return to pro golf at the 2026 Masters following a recovery from his October 2025 back surgery.
By all accounts, he was physically prepared to do so. Then came his DUI crash. But Woods was thankfully uninjured in the incident. Therefore, there’s no new injury holding Tiger back as he plans out his latest comeback (though his litany of previous injuries provides a permanent hindrance to his game).
Now that we know Woods will not serve jail time, he’s free to make his pro golf return. The question is when and where he will do it.
There are a few obvious possibilities. First is the Hero World Challenge scheduled for December 3-6. Woods hosts the event and has made multiple comebacks from injury there. It’s a casual event with a limited field (and limited on-site media), making it a solid bet for his return.
The next opportunity would be the 2026 PNC Championship, which runs December 17-20. Woods has played in the event alongside his son Charlie several times. It, too, would provide a laid-back competitive atmosphere that would allow Tiger to get some reps in without much pressure.
If Woods chooses to sit out the remainder of the year, then we will most likely see him make his highly anticipated return at the 2027 Genesis Invitational, a tournament he hosts, next February. Beyond that, the 2027 Masters should be circled on your calendar. As a five-time champion, Woods can play the Masters for the rest of his life.
If his comeback gets delayed more than expected, Woods could instead return at the 2027 Open Championship at St. Andrews. As a former champion, Woods can play the Open until he turns 60 and has won two Opens at the Old Course in his career.
Looking for a more unexpected comeback scenario for Tiger? At 50 years old, Woods is now eligible to play on the PGA Tour Champions. So he could hypothetically play his first pro golf in years at a senior event in 2027.
But before we know where Tiger will make his comeback, another question must be answered: Does Tiger want to return to pro golf? Given his long list of debilitating injuries, it’s possible he decides to retire.
We should find out soon enough.
Disclaimer : This story is auto aggregated by a computer programme and has not been created or edited by DOWNTHENEWS. Publisher: golf.com
