Tiger Woods isn’t ready to rule out Augusta National.
With the Masters less than two months away, the five-time champion stopped short of dismissing a return — even as his days are currently dominated more by boardroom strategy sessions than practice rounds.
Speaking Tuesday at the Genesis Invitational, Woods acknowledged that his playing future remains uncertain following his seventh back surgery — a disk replacement procedure last October. When asked directly whether the Masters, which begins April 9, was off the table, his answer was brief and pointed:
“No.”
It was vintage Woods — guarded, but not definitive.
At 50, Woods is eligible for the PGA Tour Champions, yet he has not set a timeline for his return to competition. He has yet to compete in TGL’s indoor matches and admitted that while he can hit full shots, it’s not consistent.
“I’m trying — put it that way,” Woods said. “I can hit it, but not every day and not very well.”
Last year marked the first season of his professional career in which he did not compete in a single tournament. A ruptured Achilles tendon sidelined him in 2025, though he says that injury is no longer limiting him. The bigger concern is his back — and the reality of recovery at age 50.
“My body has been through a lot,” Woods said. “Each and every day, I keep trying, I keep progressing, trying to get stronger, trying to build endurance to get it to a level where I can compete at the highest level again.”
While his competitive future remains in flux, Woods has thrown himself fully into reshaping the future of the PGA Tour.
As a board member of both the PGA Tour and PGA Tour Enterprises, Woods chairs the “Future Competition Committee,” a group tasked with building a more streamlined, high-impact competitive model. CEO Brian Rolapp has emphasized a schedule featuring fewer tournaments but greater significance for top players.
The new model likely won’t debut before 2027, but discussions are accelerating. Among the proposals: launching the season around the Super Bowl, staging major events in larger markets, and potentially shifting high-profile West Coast stops — including Riviera and Torrey Pines — into August as part of a postseason format.
“We’re looking at things like that,” Woods said. “How do we make our competitive model better?”
Moving the Genesis Invitational to late summer, he confirmed, “certainly is on the table.”
Amid those sweeping changes, Woods says the broader goal is creating opportunity for the next generation.
“We’re trying to create that turnover,” he said. “Eventually they’re going to take over the game.”
Then there’s the Ryder Cup.
Woods declined the U.S. captaincy two years ago, citing time constraints. The 2027 matches in Ireland remain undecided territory for him. The PGA of America previously delayed naming a captain for the 2025 matches at Bethpage Black while awaiting his decision before ultimately selecting Keegan Bradley.
Now, Woods remains noncommittal.
“I haven’t made my decision yet,” he said. “I’m trying to figure out what we’re doing with our tour and whether I can give Team USA and the Ryder Cup the time it deserves.”
For now, Woods’ future includes equal parts rehabilitation, reinvention, and reflection. A return to Augusta isn’t promised — but it isn’t ruled out, either.
And with Tiger, that’s usually enough to keep the golf world watching.
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