Tiger Woods faces a monumental decision ahead of the 2026 season, with huge ramifications for the PGA Tour.
He turns 50 on December 30, which makes Tiger Woods eligible to play on the PGA Tour Champions in 2026. Woods was aiming to make his PGA Tour return in 2026, but his return was delayed after undergoing another back surgery this fall.
Woods is equal with Sam Snead for the most wins on the PGA Tour of all-time, with 82, so it’s understandable why this decision on whether to join could weigh so heavily on him. Who knows if he is capable of winning again on the tour, but if he joins the senior tour instead, we’ll probably never know.
Colin Montgomerie, who has the record for the most second-place finishes without a win in major championship history, in part thanks to Woods, weighed in on whether Woods should take the plunge and join the senior tour.
Colin Montgomerie said it would be ‘super’ for the PGA Tour Champions if Tiger Woods joined
Montgomerie is an experienced PGA Tour Champions player, having won on the tour seven times and won three senior major championships.
The Scotsman said it would be an excellent thing for the tour if the greatest golfer of all time were to join.
He said, “I think it would be super for the [PGA Tour Champions] if Tiger is able to play. Great for sponsors, tv, etc. And we will all begin our rounds looking for his name on the board. Where is he? Do we have a chance? Hopefully we do, but maybe not.”
Should Tiger Woods join the PGA Tour Champions?
Even at 49 years old and six years removed from his most recent major victory, Woods is still able to grab the golfing world’s attention. So much so that there is genuine concern that Woods could take viewers from the PGA Tour as fans clamour to watch him play senior events.
But after his latest surgery, the best thing for golf is for Woods to find a way to represent the sport in any way he can, and the senior tour may present the best opportunity for him to do that consistently.
Colin Montgomerie called for Tiger Woods’ retirement in 2024
This isn’t the first time Montgomerie has called for Woods to step away from the PGA Tour. He did the same in 2024, and Woods had a cutting response.
Speaking before the 2024 Open Championship, Montgomerie said about Woods, “I hope people remember Tiger as Tiger was, the passion and the charismatic aura around him.
“There is none of that now. At Pinehurst, he did not seem to enjoy a single shot and you think, ‘What the hell is he doing?’ He’s coming to Troon, and he won’t enjoy it there either.”
What golfers have said about Tiger Woods joining the PGA Tour Champions
Woods didn’t take those comments lightly and responded in brutal fashion: “I’ll play as long as I can play and I feel like I can still win the event,” Woods responded. “So when I get to his age, I get to still make that decision, where he doesn’t.”
As a past winner of The Open, Woods has a lifetime exemption, whereas Montgomerie doesn’t. So these were especially scathing remarks, given that Woods was the one who stopped Montgomerie from winning his home major in 2005.
So a year ago, Woods had no plans of retirement. Let’s see if that’s different now.
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