For almost the entirety of his career, it has been hard to imagine Tiger Woods playing on PGA Tour Champions once the 15-time major champion reaches the age of 50.
When he was at his best, it seemed impossible to see Tiger Woods competing against anyone other than the very best players in the world – no matter how old he got.
And when injuries started to play more and more of a role in his career, it arguably became even harder to imagine Woods continuing onto the PGA Tour Champions. While some, such as Bernhard Langer and Hale Irwin, have had remarkable stints on the tour, others have pursued other routes once their full-time PGA Tour careers have been behind them.
Given the struggles Woods has had over the past few years, it seemed more than likely that the 48-year-old would continue to only play in a handful of events as he has done in 2024.
Tiger Woods could be set to revolutionise PGA Tour Champions
But perhaps that may not actually prove to be the case.
Speaking on Kostis & McCord, former player and commentator Gary McCord was discussing the amount of events which are now dividing golf fans’ attention, and he noted that he has heard that the PGA Tour Champions is about to receive a massive boost.
“Tiger’s going to be eligible for the Champions Tour in two years, you’ve got one product which could conflict with the other one. If Tiger goes to the Champions Tour, and I’ve heard, again, rumours, nothing but rumours, that Tiger’s going to play a full schedule,” he said.
“They’re going to take that schedule down from what they’ve got now, which I think is 25 or 26 tournaments, to 15 and he’s going to play in them all as part of the process of Tiger being on the board now and in a position, and basically it’s going to sound like the Tiger tour and see if people watch the Champions Tour as it evolves into the biggest name who’s ever played the game.”
A game-changer
Ultimately, Woods is going to attract major attention, wherever he ends up playing, even at this stage of his career.
As McCord notes, Woods is the biggest name golf has ever had. No-one seems to have moved the needle more than him over the course of his career.
And given his injury problems, fans appreciate the opportunity to watch Woods even more these days; well aware that there is a chance that he may not have too many more tournaments ahead of him.
So if he did decide to play on PGA Tour Champions, it would inevitably lead to a huge boost in their viewing figures and attendances. Many will surely be expecting Woods to blow the rest of the field away, particularly as he would also have the option to use a golf cart to get around if he wanted to.
Perhaps the novelty would wear off over time, but there is surely no doubt that nothing attracts fans to watch golf more than seeing Woods winning.
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