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Even as he’s about to turn 48, Tiger Woods remains at the center of conversations in the game of golf. Having played in just five official PGA Tour events since his February 2021 car crash, Woods would quench the thirst of golf fans everywhere if he’s able to start all four major championships this coming season — something he has not done since 2019.
A renewed strut and confidence in Woods’ own physical abilities have fans — and Tiger himself — hoping for even more.
“That best scenario would be maybe a tournament a month,” Woods said at the Hero World Challenge. “That’s realistic whether that’s — you would have to start with maybe at Genesis [Invitational] and something in March near The Players. Again, we have set up right now the biggest events are one per month. It sets itself up for that. Now, I need to get myself ready for all that.”
A busy winter saw Woods — over a three-week stretch — play in the Hero World Challenge and PNC Championship, the latter alongside his son, Charlie. Walking five rounds and utilizing a cart once — as the whole field did due to weather — the 15-time major champion looked considerably more comfortable compared to his last showing at the 2023 Masters eight months prior. Despite some rust in his game and an 18th-place finish out of 20 golfers in the Bahamas, the Woods duo placed T5 in the 36-hole scramble at the Ritz Carlton, and Tiger emerged from it all as a winner.
The newly fused ankle has given him another golfing life, but it may be his ninth as other areas of his body must now compensate. It’s not as if these parts are sterling silver, either. Woods has undergone five knee surgeries and five back surgeries throughout his career.
“If I’m able to practice and do the things that I know I can do, and prepare, I know that I can still do it. I can still hit the golf ball,” Woods said at the PNC Championship. “It’s just a matter of prepping and get enough reps in and get enough work in and being right physically, and [the] endurance capability of it. I haven’t had the leg good enough where I’ve been able to compete and play a lot of rounds. I’ve had a lot of procedures over the years, and that’s just part of it. I know, if I can practice, I know I can still do it. I can still hit the golf ball. I can still chip. I can still put. Granted, it’s also putting it all together for 72 holes. That’s the challenging part of it.”
Woods can still do all the things he mentioned, but he needs to build up to doing it across four days of tournament action. The 2024 PGA Tour schedule lays out a nice one-month cadence between events for the 82-time winner and hints have been dropped regarding where he may turn up in the new year. Dodging a question to commit to the 2024 Farmers Insurance Open at Torrey Pines (a course where he has won eight times), Woods may see late winter as his ideal time to come out of hibernation.
Genesis Invitational
Feb. 15-18
Riviera Country Club
2nd (1999)
Players Championship
Mar. 14-17
TPC Sawgrass
Win (2001, 2013)
Masters
April 11-14
Augusta National
Win (1997, 2001-02, 2019)
PGA Championship
May 16-19
Valhalla Golf Club
Wn (1999-2000, 2006-07)
U.S. Open
June 13-16
Pinehurst No. 2
Win (2000, 2002, 2008)
The Open
July 18-21
Royal Troon
Win (2000, 2005-06)
This schedule makes sense on paper, and it would have Woods playing one significant tournament per month — including all four majors — but there are still a handful of questions that need to be answered. For instance, Tiger has not yet qualified for the U.S. Open at Pinehurst No. 2. The USGA has made exceptions in the past by handing out special invitations — the latest to Phil Mickelson in 2021 before he won the PGA Championship. Woods, a three-time champion, would surely receive one if not in the field by June.
However, the more important question may be much more simple: What matters to Tiger Woods at this stage of his career? Is it playing in major championships? Is it winning? Is it just being out there competing against the world’s best? Despite Woods’ unwavering confidence, the answers to these queries conflict with one another.
The likelihood of Woods recapturing the magic of the 2019 Masters is slim, even less likely if he arrives at Augusta National with an optimistic eight competitive rounds under his belt on the year. This projected schedule may not be conducive for contending in major championships, but it may be what’s needed to ensure Woods’ health and presence at the four biggest tournaments.
It also isn’t ideal for winning. Woods has remained on 82 victories since his last at the 2019 Zozo Championship, which pulled him alongside Sam Snead for the most in PGA Tour history. Since then, when he has teed it up, he’s continued to play in the most competitive tournaments where winning is the most difficult.
If Tiger wants No. 83 and the top spot to himself, why not mix in tournaments such as the Arnold Palmer Invitational (where he has dominated) or the Valspar Championship (where he finished runner up in 2018)? It would not only pit Woods against lesser competition — in terms of quantity at the Arnold Palmer and quality at the Valspar — but it would also serve as better preparation for the Masters as it has the longest runway of the four majors.
What Woods should do and what Woods will do are questions that can only be answered by Tiger, of course, and they will be revealed in due time. What remains a certainty in 2024, though, is that eyes will be on Woods whenever and wherever he chooses to tee it up no matter his form, the stakes or his position on the leaderboard.
Genesis Invitational
Feb. 15-18
Riviera Country Club
2nd (1999)
Arnold Palmer Invitational
Mar. 7-10
Bay Hill Club & Lodge
Wn (2000-03, 2008-09, 2012-13)
Valspar Championship
Mar. 21-24
Copperhead Course at Innisbrook
T2 (2018)
Masters
April 11-14
Augusta National
Win (1997, 2001-02, 2005, 2019)
PGA Championship
May 16-19
Valhalla Golf Club
Win (1999-2000, 2006-07)
U.S. Open
June 13-16
Pinehurst No. 2
Win (2000, 2002, 2008)
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