Tiger Woods: Comeback question marks, but the Masters is not "off the table" – and the Champions Tour is calling!
Tiger Woods signals the all-clear? Think again! The 15-time major champion is keeping us on tenterhooks. No timeline for his comeback, but the 2026 Masters is not off the table, even if he's already toying with the idea of the Champions Tour (for golfers over 50, mind you!).
The man who turned 50 on December 30 – yes, you heard that right, a new decade for the GOAT! – had to undergo spinal disk surgery in October. This was just the latest episode in his never-ending story of injuries and operations that have kept him off the course since the 2024 British Open.
"It's a challenge every single day, but I'm sticking with it, making progress," Woods explained on Tuesday at Riviera Country Club, where he is currently hosting the PGA Tour Genesis Invitational. The action is intense on the course, and Tiger is right in the thick of it, albeit (still) not playing.
"I continue to work on getting stronger, building more endurance in this body, and getting it to a level where I can compete at the highest level again," said the maestro. And here's the kicker: He's already back to taking full swings, no longer just chipping and putting! "I can do it," he confirms. "Not perfectly every day, but I can hit them." So, his swing is already coming along!
Despite all the uncertainty: The Masters, which takes place from April 9th to 12th at Augusta National, is "not off the table" for Woods. Hear that, golfers? The dream lives on! The man has already claimed five Masters titles, including the legendary victory in 2019, which finally ended his eleven-year major drought. That was an incredible round back then!
After his severe car accident in 2021 with significant leg injuries, he celebrated his emotional comeback at the 2022 Masters, finishing in a respectable 47th place. That alone was a victory.
The superstar had another back surgery in September 2024 and was just on the road to recovery when the next shocking news came in March 2025: a torn Achilles tendon! His body was truly put through the wringer then. Woods says the Achilles tendon is no longer a problem. But the disk replacement surgery – on top of numerous previous back procedures – is giving him trouble. He faces a real Herculean task.
New Decade, Old Questions?
"I've had a fused spine and now a disk replacement, which is really challenging," Woods said. "And now I've entered a new decade; that number is starting to creep in and makes us think about the possibility of playing in a cart." For the PGA Tour, that's out of the question for him; that's not his philosophy. But for the Champions Tour? Things look different there; a cart could "definitely be an option." Insiders know what that means: Age is taking its toll.
But Tiger wouldn't be Tig
