While Tiger Woods is nowhere near being the machine on the golf course he once was, there is no question that he remains one of the biggest attractions in the sport.
Obviously, Tiger Woods is arguably the greatest to have ever played the game. But it is surely the case that one of the many reasons why he still is such a needle mover is the fact that he now plays so rarely after years of dealing with injuries.
Woods withdrew from the Genesis Invitational in February, and his only appearances since have come in the four major championships. Unfortunately, he would miss the cut three times after making the weekend at The Masters.
Tiger Woods not expected to play in the Hero World Challenge
Woods confirmed after The Open that he was set to next play at the Hero World Challenge in December. The 48-year-old hosts the event each year. And while it is not an event which counts towards FedEx Cup points, it is going to be a tournament that many fans look forward to given the quality of the limited field. Scottie Scheffler, Viktor Hovland and Jon Rahm are amongst those who have won the event in the last five stagings.
Woods has since undergone further surgery since his comments at Royal Troon. And with that, Ryan Lavner has told Golf Channel that he does not expect the 15-time major champion to take up one of the spots in the field for his event later this year.
“No, I’m not anticipating that that would be the case. I think the PNC Championship a couple of weeks later where Tiger can sort of hit half the shots alongside his son Charlie Woods makes more sense,” he said.
“There have been very few updates actually regarding Tiger’s condition, regarding his form, regarding his upcoming schedule since that fall back surgery. But I think that’s probably a bit too much, too soon with the grainy soil, 72 holes in the Bahamas; I think he’s probably more targeting the Genesis Invitational early 2025 for when he wants to get back playing official tournament golf.”
What does Tiger Woods’ future in the game look like?
It does appear that Woods is somewhat caught in a vicious cycle. His body appears to be struggling to handle the demands of playing more than a handful of tournaments a year, and with that, he is unable to build any kind of momentum within his game.
Lavner has previously suggested that Woods needs to play more in 2025 if his results are going to improve. So there is little point rushing himself back for an event where he will still have a presence as the host.
There is too much up in the air to say for certain what the long-term future holds for Woods. There is speculation over Woods’ plans for the PGA Tour Champions once he turns 50 at the end of 2025. And of course, TGL is set to start in the coming months.
From the outside, it would appear to be a wise call to sit out the Hero World Challenge – hopefully in preparation for brighter times which still lie ahead.
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