Tiger Woods will return to competitive golf tonight, albeit not on an 18-hole outdoor course.
Woods will compete in match two of the best-of-three TGL finals, teeing it up for his Jupiter Links team against Los Angeles in Palm Beach.
The 50-year-old underwent back surgery in October and has not played an on-course event since the 2024 Open at Royal Troon. He did play in TGL last February.
But he will step in to the Jupiter Links team as they look to recover from losing the first match last night.
A post on X from TGL confirmed the news. It simply read: “He’s back.”
Woods still to rule out Masters comeback
The news has increased hope that Woods, a 15-time major winner, may be able to compete at the Masters next month. However, that still appears a remote possibility given the undulating terrain at Augusta is a world away from the indoor arena players encounter in TGL.
Woods said last month that playing the Masters is “not off the table” but also outlined the struggle he faces to return to full fitness.
“I said I’ve been working on it. Sometimes I have good days, sometimes I have bad days. Disc replacement is not a lot of fun,” said Woods, a five-time winner of the Green Jacket.
Injury problems derail Woods’ storied career
The operation on his back was the latest in a series of injury problems that have plagued the American over recent years.
He sustained serious leg injuries in a road traffic accident in 2021, had back surgery in September 2024 and then suffered a ruptured Achilles in March 2025.
Woods added: “I’ve had a lot of procedures, so the body doesn’t quite heal like it was when I was 24. Doesn’t quite bounce back. So I have good days when I can pretty much do anything, and other days where it’s hard to just to move around.”
Woods admitted last week he was happy managing the Jupiter Links team and didn’t want to “screw up the line-up” but he will step in to replace Kevin Kisner and play alongside Max Homa and Tom Kim. Another Jupiter Links star, Akshay Bhatia, is unavailable due to his participation in the Indian Open in Delhi.
LA will line up with Justin Rose, Tommy Fleetwood and Sahith Theegala.
