Tiger Woods’ name does not appear on the initial list of players participating in the Hero World Challenge in Albany, Bahamas, on December 5-8, 2024. However, he could still be added if he gets one of the three exemption spots.
Woods, a 15-time major champion, has not competed in any events since he missed the British Open last July due to his microdecompression surgery for nerve impingement on his lower back last September. He has not yet released any update on his recovery.
He also dropped out of the Genesis Invitational last February, which is another event that he hosts, because of illness. He finished 60th at the Masters and did not proceed to participate in the next three majors.
The athlete declared that he would take a break and would not play in any official tournaments for the rest of the year. He would then aim to participate in the Hero World Challenge, which is a limited-field and unofficial event.
Last year, the Hero World Challenge was his first tournament after his eight-month hiatus as he recovered from his ankle surgery. He finished 18th.
This year, Scottie Scheffler, Hideki Matsuyama, and Keegan Bradley are among the 17 players who are officially participating in the Hero World Challenge’s 20-man field.
Tiger Woods is no stranger when it comes to injuries.
Numerous times throughout his 27-year career, he gave golf fans a scare after sustaining fatal injuries, like his left-knee cartilage injury in 2008, a pinched back nerve in 2014, and most recently his right ankle and foot pain that caused him to withdraw from the 3rd round of Masters in April 2023.
However, time and time again, Woods recuperated, returned to his best form, and won himself a staggering total of 106 worldwide wins and 15 majors, successfully etching his name as one of golf’s best players in the history books.
Tiger Woods: Masters in April
Woods retreated from the tournaments after the pain in his right ankle persisted.
The 47-year-old had winced after the majority of his swings in the Masters in April and had hobbled considerably on the wet course of Augusta National Golf Club.
Left with no choice, Woods withdrew from the event on April 9, and ten days later, he announced that he had undergone subtalar fusion surgery.
Hero World Challenge in Albany, Bahamas
All throughout his period of recovery, there have been several rumors suggesting that Woods has reached the end of his career and is planning to retire anytime soon.
However, Woods came back, full of confidence, and announced that he would be participating at the Hero World Challenge this week at Albany in the Bahamas.
In his latest press conference, Woods stated that, following a successful surgery, he was now free of any ankle pain.
He also admitted that after being away from the action for several months, his game is now a “little rusty.”
Despite any apprehensions he may have regarding his comeback, Tiger Woods says he’s still excited about the upcoming competition.
Excitement
“I’m excited to compete and play, and I’m just as curious as all of you are, see what happens—because I haven’t done it in a while,” the 15-time major champion said, via The Golf Channel.
Woods stated that his love for competing in the sport serves as his primary source of inspiration. He added that there will come a point in time where he’ll think that he won’t be able to win and when that time comes, he’ll walk away from the sport.
Hearing this, one reporter followed up with another question, “So you being here [Hero World Challenge] assumes you think you can still win?” to which Woods immediately responded, “Absolutely.”
Tiger Woods admitted that he still has the fire to compete but acknowledged that he “has a long way to go” before he can return to professional golf.
At the Hero World Challenge, the tournament he is hosting in Bahamas, the 48-year-old athlete said that he will not play as he continues to recover from his back surgery last September.
Woods said: “I’m not physically ready yet to compete at this level… The times I have come back here, I was ready to start competing and playing again. Unfortunately, not this time. I still need to keep training to give myself the best chance going into next year and the events ahead.”
The 15-time major champion hasn’t competed since The Open in July, and his most recent back injury adds to his struggles. Woods stated that his body is not recovering like it used to.
“Nothing felt good and (an) MRI showed that,” Woods shared, adding that as 2024 progressed, his ‘back kept progressively getting worse to the point where it just wasn’t getting better.’
The athlete added: “I’m just progressively trying to test it, keep making progress without setting it off… I don’t want to have any setbacks, just want to keep making progress and give myself the best chance going into next year as possible. I feel like I’m getting stronger, I’m getting more pliable, but I’ve got a long way to go to be able to compete against these guys.”
However, he reaffirmed his intention to play professionally as soon as he is physically capable.
“I’m not tournament sharp yet. I’m still not there… These are 20 of the best players in the world and I’m not sharp enough to compete against them at this level. So when I’m ready to compete and play at this level, then I will,” Woods shared.
After agreeing to a special exemption to compete in the 124th major on Thursday, Tiger Woods will play at the US Open for the 23rd time. The United States Golf Association (USGA), the major tournament’s organizers, granted the 48-year-old a place in the 156-player field set at the Pinehurst Resort and Country Club in North Carolina. Although Woods did not automatically qualify for the field, he will now attempt to win his fourth US Open championship.
With this permission granted, Wood declared: “The US Open, our national championship, is a truly special event for our game and one that has helped define my career.”
“I’m honored to receive this exemption and could not be more excited for the opportunity to compete in this year’s US Open, especially at Pinehurst, a venue that means so much to the game,” he added.
Wood’s career in the US Open
Woods’ career at the tournament has been memorable. After winning two more US Open championships in 2002 and 2008—the latter one coming despite a leg fracture and ruptured ligaments—the 15-time major champion secured his first title in 2000 at Pebble Beach in a manner that was historically favored.
However, Woods did not participate in the Los Angeles tournament the year before as he completed his recuperation from ankle surgery due to the long-term physical effects of his 2021 car disaster.
Despite his occasional playing appearances, which have caused his world ranking to drop to world No. 789, the organizers found it “easy” to extend Woods’ invitation for a third visit to the event because of his major league history.
“The story of the US Open could not be written without Tiger Woods… From his 15-stroke victory at Pebble Beach in 2000 to his inspiring win on a broken leg at Torrey Pines in 2008, this championship is simply better when Tiger is in the field, and his accomplishments in the game undoubtedly made this an easy decision for our special exemption committee,” USGA Chief Championships Officer John Bodenhamer declared.
Tiger Woods, the 15-time major champion, will provide TGL, an advanced indoor golf league he co-founded with Mike McCarley and Rory Mcllroy, with considerable star power and ratings this week as he is scheduled to make his debut in the event.
At TGL’s debut last week, an average of 919,000 people watched the two-hour ESPN coverage. Since it will be a rare opportunity to see Woods compete, the number of viewers is expected to increase. Wood’s Jupiter Links Golf Club team was already scheduled to participate in the TGL calendar. However, he received confirmation last Friday that he would be joining Max Homa and Kevin Kisner in the starting threesome match.
The 49-year-old golfer, who hasn’t played on the PGA Tour since missing the cut at the British Open in July last year, will make his opening shot on Tuesday when he will first take on The Plank, a 376-yard, uphill par-four. Many spectators might not be interested in seeing Woods, the best player of his generation, aim at a five-story-high simulator screen before moving on to a rotating green, but this is one of the few opportunities to watch the legendary golfer play nowadays.
Woods admitted in a TV broadcast of the TGL launch: “It’s not traditional golf, yes, but it is golf.”
Woods’ current athletic performance
Woods had back surgery in September after making the cut at the British Open. He also chose not to compete in the 20-player tournament that he hosted last December and just opted to play with his son in a 36-hole scramble event.
The athlete has not made many appearances lately due to his injuries, but the TGL provides some relief because the 15-hole, two-hour matches are played indoors on a pitch that is comparable in size to an American football field.
TGL, which was established in collaboration with the PGA Tour, was co-founded by Woods and four-time major champion Rory Mcllroy with the intention of drawing in new people with its fast-paced take on a traditional sport.
The PGA Tour recently declared that Tiger Woods alone would now be eligible to qualify for selected events on its calendar, all thanks to the creation of a special exemption.
Players with 80 or more PGA Tour victories will be eligible to qualify for what they call “Signature Events” by being granted the “Sponsor Exemption for Lifetime Achievement”. With 82 career victories, Woods is the only active player who fits into this category. He is tied for the most-ever PGA Tour victories with the late Sam Snead.
According to the PGA Tour, this is being done to acknowledge Tiger Woods in his “own category.”
The ‘Signature Events’
With more FedExCup points up for grabs and bigger prize money, the eight PGA Tour “Signature Events” are the tour’s premier competitions.
Over the course of the season, FedExCup points are accumulated, with the top 70 players earning a spot in the playoffs. The tournament’s prize fund was an incredible $75 million last year, and the champion took home $18 million.
The eight ‘Signature Events’ on the PGA Tour calendar are The Sentry, AT&T Pebble Beach Pro-Am, The Genesis Invitational – which Woods has hosted in the previous years – the Arnold Palmer Invitational, RBC Heritage, Wells Fargo Championship, The Memorial Tournament and the Travelers Championship.
Woods has already won five times in The Memorial Tournament and eight times in The Arnold Palmer Invitational. Moreover, the athlete has participated in just four competitions: the three majors and the Genesis Invitational. He pulled out of the Genesis tournament in the second round, finished 60th at the Masters, and failed to make the cut at the US Open and PGA Championship.
