Undaunted following a milestone birthday and a trio of recent major physical setbacks that have limited his tournament schedule to a trickle, Tiger Woods believes he has plenty of game left.
And ahead of the Genesis Invitational at Riviera Country Club, he wouldn’t rule out returning for the 2026 Masters in April.
“I’m trying. Put it that way,” the 50-year-old Woods said.
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“The disc replacement has been one thing. It’s been a challenge to – I’ve had a fused back and now a disc replacement, so it’s challenging.
Tiger Woods has teased a potential return for the Masters in April. PGA TOUR
“And now, I entered a new decade, so that number is starting to sink in and has us thinking about the opportunity to be able to play in a cart. That’s something that, as I said, I won’t do out here (in PGA Tour events) because I don’t believe in it.
“But on the Champions Tour, that’s certainly (an) opportunity.”
In reality, Woods might be too busy to play tournament golf these days.
As the chair of the new Future Competitions Committee, Woods is heavily involved in what will be a new-look PGA Tour as early as the 2027 season, with a full roll out aimed for 2028.
But just because he’s not playing, that doesn’t necessarily mean he won’t be at the biggest tournaments in the world. Woods also revealed he had been asked about his interest in being the United States captain for the 2027 Ryder Cup.
“They have asked me for my input on it, and I haven’t made my decision yet,” he said.
“I’m trying to figure out what we’re trying to do with our tour.”
Woods (in red) still pulls a massive gallery, seen here at the 2024 Masters. Getty
“(The Ryder Cup captaincy) has been driving me hours upon hours every day and trying to figure out if I can actually do our team, our Team USA and our players and everyone that’s going to be involved in the Ryder Cup, if I can do it justice with my time.”
The US were soundly beaten by Europe at the 2025 event, held in New York. The 2027 tournament will be played at Adare Manor, in County Limerick in central Ireland.
But this week, Woods’ main focus will be to welcome the field to the Genesis Invitational where he is the tournament host. While Riviera was the site of his first ever PGA Tour event, on a sponsor’s exemption at the Los Angeles Open in 1992 when he was 16, the Southern California native will not be playing this week – but he could be soon.
As for Augusta National, the 15-time major winner was asked if participating in the Masters was ruled out. He gave a simple answer: “No”, but didn’t elaborate.
Since his fairytale fifth Masters green jacket in 2019, Woods has rarely been a contender in the majors. He missed the cut in two of the three remaining majors in 2019, and of the 12 he’s played since, he’s missed the cut in five – including each of the last three – and withdrawn from two with injury. He did not play in any of the majors in 2025.
He still has physical limitations from the shattered right leg that happened during a single-car crash in 2021, followed by an Achilles injury and disc replacement surgery in his back this past October.
Given his physical ailments, playing on the Champions Tour, which allows players to use a golf cart, is under consideration.
Woods turned 50 just over a month ago, making him eligible for the Champions Tour.
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