Notah Begay III wears multiple “insider” hats. As a former PGA Tour winner and current Golf Channel analyst, he’s a Tour insider. But he’s also something of a Tiger Woods insider.
As a longtime friend and confidante of the 15-time major champion, Begay’s predictions about Tiger carry some weight. His latest prediction? That Woods will indeed make his return to the PGA Tour soon. But not only that. Begay also suggested Tiger could play two Tour events he rarely, if ever, plays.
Notah Begay III talks Tiger Woods’ return
Begay’s long friendship with Woods began in junior golf and continued on the Stanford University golf team, then on the PGA Tour.
In the past, Begay has offered insight into Tiger’s thinking that could have been provided by none other than the Big Cat himself.
And right now, everyone wants to know what Tiger’s thinking. After competing in the inaugural TGL season early this year, it looked like Woods was primed for the 2025 season. But then Achilles surgery kept him out all year.
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In October, Woods announced he’d undergone a disc-replacement operation on his back, further throwing his potential return date into doubt.
This week, Begay appeared on the Straight Facts Homie! podcast with host Trey Wingo, and he quickly addressed one of the biggest questions on golf fans’ minds: when, if ever, will Tiger Woods compete on the PGA Tour again?
Begay responded by not only predicting that he will return, but that he could do it at two unlikely tournaments, the Charles Schwab Challenge at Colonial and the RBC Heritage at Harbour Town on Hilton Head Island.
Why those events, which Tiger has played a combined one time? Begay explained that the only thing holding Tiger back from returing to pro golf is his ability to walk 72 holes.
“I think there’s a couple venues that could accommodate his current physical condition,” Begay said on the podcast. “I think the biggest problem, in the conversations that I’ve had with him, is the walking. That’s it. He hits it great, he’s in tremendous physical condition. His ball speeds are fast enough, they’re 175-180 which is adequate for the PGA Tour. It’s just can he walk 72 holes plus a pro-am? I don’t know, and that’s kind of the big question. So I think that a major championship venue with flatter terrain. Hilton Head with flatter terrain, Colonial with flatter terrain might be targets.”
He continued: “And those are venues that he’s never typically played at. He’s played Colonial once and never went back. And I don’t think he’s ever been to Hilton Head. So I think those are two things that you may see at some point.”
Begay also provided a reason as to why Woods would try and make yet another comeback. The inspiration comes from wanting to win his 83rd PGA Tour event, thereby breaking his current tie with Sam Snead for the most Tour wins in history.
“In his heart-of-hearts, 83 is a big number. It’s an important number,” Begay said.
And if not the PGA Tour, Begay admitted he’d love to have him play some PGA Tour Champions events, a desire many older pros have repeated.
“But we’re also dying to see him on the Champions Tour, where he can take a cart!”
For the record, the 2026 RBC Heritage takes place April 16-19, one week after the 2026 Masters, another potential location for Woods’ return to pro golf. The 2026 Charles Schwab Challenge begins at Colonial on May 28.
How Tiger Woods and Notah Begay III became ‘pseudo-brothers’
In addition to providing insight on the current and future Tiger Woods, Begay also revealed what it was like meeting a young Tiger 40 years ago, when he was already dominating tournaments.
“Tiger and I have been friends since he was 9 years old, so over 40 years now,” Begay explained in his Straight Facts Homie! appearance.
They first met at a junior golf tournament that Begay’s older brother was competing in. But it was Tiger that drew Begay’s attention.
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“I’d been hearing about this kid who had been winning tournaments by 15 and 20 shots. And I said I got to go watch this kid. And I got to run into a young Tiger Woods, age of 9, out there competing with older kids and beating older kids,” Begay revealed. “Just the pizzazz and the energy, and the way that he went about his business was really captivating, even at that age.”
Begay then shared how their initial meeting blossomed into a lifelong friendship.
“So after the round I went up and introduced myself to him and we became friends. We would meet at junior tournaments along the way. And we would stay together. [Tiger’s father Earl Woods] was always traveling with him, and my parents couldn’t travel because it was expensive. So Earl would always look out for me. He’d always make sure I had dinner. He always made sure I had a ride to the course,” Begay said. “So we became almost like pseudo-brothers and we carried that friendship into college.”
He also claimed that Woods was the greatest golfer ever and argued that playing witness to Tiger’s achievements throughout his career gives him the authority to make that call.
“So I’ve been there through every step of the way — the good, the bad, the ugly — with my friend. And I have the utmost respect for everything that he’s done. And nobody can really understand just how many mountains he had to climb to put those records up, and what he had to sacrifice to put those records up. But nobody ever worked harder at the game than Tiger Woods, and possibly nobody ever had more talent, which is why I consider him the best to ever play.”
You can watch Begay’s entire appearance on the Straight Facts Homie! podcast here.
