While there may not have been a huge sense of surprise, the golfing world felt a real disappointment when it was announced that Tiger Woods would not be playing in the Hero World Challenge this year as he makes his way back from surgery.
The Hero World Challenge is the event Tiger Woods hosts, and there were hopes that he would make his return having not played competitively since missing the cut at The Open Championship in July.
Of course, there is plenty of uncertainty surrounding Woods heading into 2025. He was limited to just five tournament appearances in 2024; only managing to make the cut at The Masters. So it may have felt somewhat ominous when word emerged that Woods would not be playing at Albany this month.
The encouraging news is that those who spent time with Woods on the day the announcement came were not overly alarmed by his withdrawal. But thoughts may now be turning to the new year and the start of TGL.
Tiger Woods suggests whether he expects to feature in TGL opener
Woods’ Jupiter Links side’s first fixture is on January 14th. So the worry will be that he does not have a huge amount of time to get himself ready.
But according to journalist Bob Harig, Woods is optimistic that he stands a good chance of being fit enough for their opener.
Why TGL may provide Woods with the ideal platform heading into the 2025 season
TGL should not be as physically demanding as the Hero World Challenge, with Woods obviously not needing to walk 72 holes over four days. Meanwhile, TGL is a team event, so the likes of Tom Kim, Max Homa and Kevin Kisner can shoulder some of the burden.
In fact, TGL could be a really beneficial event for Woods. Ultimately, he will know that he needs to get more game-time under his belt if he is going to be more competitive in 2025 and beyond.
TGL is not going to perfectly prepare Woods for the Masters, for example. However, the 48-year-old is someone who knows every blade of grass at Augusta National. So he simply needs to get himself physically ready and get that competitive spirit firing again.
TGL may provide that – as long as Woods is ready to compete.
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