The event Tiger Woods has been backed to set his sights on for a PGA Tour return after withdrawing from the Genesis Invitational

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While all golf fans could completely understand why Tiger Woods decided to withdraw from this week’s Genesis Invitational, there is no question at all that it was extremely disappointing news with the 15-time major champion set to make his first appearance on the PGA Tour in 2025.

There is now often a question mark over whether Tiger Woods will indeed tee it up when he is scheduled to. The 49-year-old’s body has taken so much punishment over the years, and it seems remarkable that he has not yet decided to step away and enjoy his retirement.

However, it does not appear to have been Woods’ fitness which has led to him not feeling ready to play at Torrey Pines. Woods sadly lost his mother earlier this month, and it seems that the Genesis Invitational has, understandably, come too soon for him.

It remains to be seen where Woods will play next. The Genesis and the four majors were the only PGA Tour events he featured in in 2024, so it seems entirely possible that he will not be back in action – TGL aside – until the Masters comes around.

Tiger Woods backed to potentially still make PGA Tour return before the Masters

But speaking on 5 Clubs, commentator Taylor Zarzour has suggested that he could see Woods making a change to his schedule to ensure that he has a tournament under his belt before he gets to Augusta National.

“It’s an A field this week, very similar to what they had at Pebble Beach. It almost was an A-plus field with Tiger Woods. Certainly understand why he’s not playing, and that’s a very difficult thing to go through. I wonder if we don’t see him play competitive golf until the Masters. I would think that he would like to play the Players for all the reasons you just referenced in the previous segment, but if history is any indicator, he won’t. He hasn’t played there in six years,” he said.

“In the last five or six years, he has become an exceptional target golfer. And the TPC Sawgrass Stadium Course is the ultimate point to point golf course. It requires precision on every shot, and he’s very good at that. You basically are playing a par three off the tee into the fairway, and then a par three from the fairway into the green there.

“Bay Hill’s a different situation. You can bomb and gouge if you need to, which he did an exceptional job of. Torrey Pines, another one of his personal playgrounds through the years. He did a great job of that. I don’t think his body can handle gouging anymore like it did in his prime.”

Tiger Woods’ career record at TPC Sawgrass and the Players Championship

Woods has a mixed record at TPC Sawgrass over the years. He has won twice in 19 appearances, while he has never missed the cut at the event.

But, as Zarzour notes, he has not played in the Players Championship since 2019. And Woods has not been one to deviate from his planned schedule over the last few years.

It would be fantastic to see Woods feature at Sawgrass. Whenever that return does now come, it needs to be at the kind of venue where the fans can truly portray their appreciation for arguably the greatest to ever play the game.