Tiger Woods makes his return to competition this week at the Hero World Challenge, an exhibition event that benefits his foundation.
Based on his comments on Tuesday, it could be the launching pad into 2024.
“The best scenario would be maybe a tournament a month [next season],” Woods told reporters on Tuesday, on site in Albany, Bahamas. “I think that’s realistic. Whether that’s, you would have to start with maybe at Genesis [Invitational in February], and then something in March, maybe the Players [Championship].”
The 47-year-old has not competed since he withdrew during the third round of the Masters in April, citing plantar fasciitis.
Woods underwent subtalar fusion surgery on his right ankle later that month, a procedure intended to address post-traumatic arthritis stemming from his February 2021 car crash in Los Angeles.
During his presser, Woods said he no longer suffers from pain in his right ankle. He still deals with knee and back issues stemming from numerous surgeries throughout the past two decades, but Woods added that when it comes to walking 90 holes (a practice round and a 72-hole event), he is “not concerned at all.”
As for his game, well, that is a bit more complicated. In 15 competitive rounds since the crash, Woods has broken 70 just twice — in the second round of last year’s PGA Championship, and in the third round of this past February’s Genesis Invitational, an event he hosts.
Walking may be the main struggle for Woods, who has insisted that his touch and feel have not left him, despite the numerous injuries and surgeries.
However, his form since the accident, albeit in limited action, has been spotty. Add in the fact that he has not teed it up competitively in nearly seven months, and how Woods will perform at Albany Golf Course is hard to predict.
For outside observers, and for the 15-time major champion himself.
“My game feels rusty,” Woods said with a grin. “I haven’t played in awhile.”
During his latest absence, golf’s ever-shifting landscape has evolved even more. In June, the PGA Tour, DP World Tour and Public Investment Fund (PIF) of Saudi Arabia announced a framework agreement to combine their golf-related assets.
The move appeared to signal the end of a fractured era in the sport, one defined by the rise of the PIF-backed LIV Golf — which has poached a number of stars from the PGA Tour, including Woods’ longtime foil, Phil Mickelson, and recent major champions such as Brooks Koepka, Dustin Johnson, Cameron Smith and Bryson DeChambeau.
However, the three parties, while initially setting a Dec. 31 deadline to finalize an agreement to form a new, for-profit entity, appear likely to continue negotiations into next year.
Part of the reason for that delay stems from increased involvement from PGA Tour members, from top players to the rank-and-file.
The framework agreement, announced by the three parties early in the morning on June 6, caught multiple players — some of whom had declined multi-million dollar offers from LIV Golf to stay on the PGA Tour — off guard at the time.
Woods expressed similar sentiments, saying he was “surprised” when news from of the framework agreement over the summer.
“I’m sure a lot of the players were taken aback by it what had happened,” he said. “And so quickly, and without any input or any kind of information about it, and it was kind of just thrown out there.
“I was very surprised that the process was what it was. We were very frustrated with what happened, and we took steps going forward to ensure that we were not going to be left out of the process, like we were.”
One of the those steps occurred in August, when Woods joined the tour’s policy board. He is now one of six player directors, alongside Jordan Spieth (who replaced Rory McIlroy last week), Patrick Cantlay, Charley Hoffman (who will be replaced by Adam Scott in January), Webb Simpson and Peter Malnati.
Woods said that since joining the board, he has experienced a range of emotions, noting that while he is “pleased” with the tour’s direction, the arduous process of coming to a finalized agreement with the DP World Tour and PIF (and potential outside investors in the new entity) has “frustrated” him.
“All the player directors have spent so many hours, and have worked tireless hours to make sure that we have the best deal for all the players that are involved, and the entire PGA Tour,” Woods said.
Whether a deal comes to fruition ahead of the Dec. 31 deadline or not, the 2024 PGA Tour season is set to start in January at The Sentry on Maui.
While Woods will not be in the field for that event, his plan for one tournament per month could ramp up in February with the Genesis Invitational, as he mentioned with the Genesis Invitational.
From there, if healthy, Woods could tee it up at the Players Championship (the PGA Tour’s flagship event) in March, then at the four majors — the Masters in April, PGA Championship in May, U.S. Open in June and Open Championship in July.
Obviously, there are still hurdles to clear to get to that point — starting this week in the Bahamas. Woods, though, is ready to get his latest comeback started.
“I love competing, I love playing,” he added. “I miss being out here with the guys, I miss the camraderie and fraternity-like atmosphere out here, and the overall banter.
“But what drives me is I love to compete.”
Woods will get to channel that love come Thursday at 11:52 a.m. ET, when he tees off in the first round alongside Justin Thomas.