‘He’s in great spirits:’ Fred Couples gives upbeat injury report on Tiger Woods

Tiger Woods may be coping with a torn Achilles tendon, but his mood is upbeat, and his texting fingers are working fine. 

That status report comes from Woods’ buddy, Fred Couples, who is playing this week’s Hoag Classic in Newport Beach, Calif. In a video shared on the PGA Tour Champions X account, Couples said that he has been in text contact with his friend and that, injury aside, all is well with Woods. 

“He’s in great spirits for a ruptured Achilles,” Couple said. He really is. He’ll be fine.”

Woods has been sidelined — and silent — since March 11, when he underwent surgery after rupturing his left Achilles tendon while training and practicing at home. The injury was the latest in a litany of physical setbacks for Woods, who had his sixth back surgery last September but rehabbed in time to compete in the PNC Championship with his son Charlie three months later. Woods also appeared in four TGL matches in 2025 and had been talking about possibly returning to Tour action at the Players Championship before the Achilles injury put him out of commission again.

Despite that dispiriting turn of events, Couples said that Tiger’s texts have been anything but glum. 

“I texted (Tiger) as soon as it happened,” Couple said. “He got back to me and I texted him on a couple of other things.”

Their exchanges have touched on a range of topics, including TGL. But Couples said that Woods sounded most excited while texting about his daughter, Sam, whose high school soccer team won the Florida High School Athletic Association’s Class 2A Championship while Tiger looked on from the stands — an uplifting moment in a time of mourning for Woods, whose mother, Kultida, died in February.

“Before he hurt himself, he was on Cloud 20,” Couples said of Woods’ reaction to Sam’s team triumph. “It was amazing.”

No timeline has been given for Woods’ return. His last official PGA Tour start was at last year’s Open Championship at Royal Troon, where he missed the cut in his third consecutive major. Woods turns 50 in December, which will make him eligible to compete alongside Couples on the Champions Tour. Like most golf fans, Couples would welcome that. In the meantime, he’s happy to keep the text thread going.

“It’s such a bummer because people think, when’s he going to play?” Couples said. “He was scheduled to play a few events, not a ton, but a few events. And you know, his mother passing away would slow anyone down. But he’s my man, and texting him is a lot of fun.”