Tiger Woods was unsurprisingly very coy when asked ahead of the Hero World Challenge about his potential playing schedule for 2026 having not featured in a single tournament this year.
Plenty of eyes will be on Tiger Woods over the coming months. Woods has not teed it up in an event since the 2024 PNC Championship, though he did go on to make a number of appearances in the inaugural season of TGL.
Woods has missed the majority of the year after rupturing his Achilles. Meanwhile, he has also undergone back surgery.
But of course, Woods will celebrate a significant birthday this month as he turns 50. That means that he will be eligible for PGA Tour Champions.
How often some expect Tiger Woods to play on PGA Tour Champions in 2026
Plenty of players hope Woods will play on the PGA Tour Champions. The events are generally played over 54 holes, while he can also use a cart to get around the course.
What golfers have said about Tiger Woods joining the PGA Tour Champions
Woods gave nothing away in his press conference this week. But he did confirm that he has only been cleared to chip and putt so far in his recovery.
Gone, surely, are the days of the 15-time major champion playing at all regularly. However, it seems that the senior tour is optimistic that he will feature in a number of events in 2026.
Speaking on the Golf Channel Podcast, Rex Hoggard suggested that he had heard recently that Woods is eyeing playing several times.
“You and I have asked Tiger Woods enough questions that you know he hates answering questions about his schedule, even when we knew his schedule back in his heyday: ‘Okay, he’s going to play The Players before The Masters, from there he’s probably going to play Memorial, he’s going to get ready for the US Open’,” he said.
“Even when we knew what the schedule was going to be, he would always give you a jab like, ‘oh, I’m going to Harbour Town to try and Monday qualify for the Heritage’. There was always something sort of on the edges that he didn’t like about it. So I did point out that he turns 50 later this month, and there’s a lot of talk about PGA Tour Champions. And I was actually a little shocked that he gave me a funny as his reply.
“He wasn’t aggravated like he normally was. It was like, ‘I’m going to play 25 events on both schedules, PGA Tour and PGA Champions, that should get me through the year’. That’s not going to be the case.
“I agree with what you said on Golf Today that that is probably the most pessimistic I have heard when he has talked about his competitive future going forward. For a guy who’s had some bad physical years, this one’s been particularly tough for him having two separate surgeries on two separate parts of his body.
“He wasn’t moving very well coming in or out of the media centre. Probably the most telling to me is he didn’t even play with the idea of playing PNC, that’s 36 holes, that’s your son hitting half the shots, you could just chip and putt – apparently he just started chipping and putting this week when I asked him about where he is in his game. He has clearly moved to the next phase of his life. The idea that he might play the PGA Tour Champions is a conversation we’re going to continue to have.
“I was a little surprised at the RSM Classic that I talked to some sources who seemed to think that the PGA Tour Champions is preparing for him to play six or seven events possibly, which to me, I wouldn’t imagine he’s going to play six or seven events anywhere in the world, let alone just on one tour.”
The surprising 2024 rumour concerning Tiger Woods and PGA Tour Champions
Rumours that Woods is hoping to play a number of Champions Tour events are nothing new.
It was suggested in 2024 that Woods was planning to play a full schedule on PGA Tour Champions. Unfortunately, he has since undergone a couple more surgeries.
As things stand, it would be a huge boost for golf if Woods could make a handful of starts each year.
Should Tiger Woods join the PGA Tour Champions?
However, he is absolutely right to put his health first. Woods has plenty going on right now, and he may add the Ryder Cup captaincy to his list of responsibilities in the near future.
Six starts on PGA Tour Champions in 2026 would be a game-changer – particularly if Woods can also feature in at least one or two of the majors.
But given the punishment he has dealt with over the last two decades, Woods himself probably has little idea of how much he will be able to play next year – let alone those working behind the scenes at PGA Tour Champions.
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