How much golf might Tiger Woods play in 2024? If all goes according to plan, a surprising amount.
On Tuesday at Albany in the Bahamas, ahead of this week’s Hero World Challenge, Woods fielded questions from reporters for the first time since the 2023 Masters, which also was the last time he played competitive golf.
Woods had a procedure on his ankle after he withdrew from the Masters, and for the past seven months he’s been largely out of the public eye. So on Tuesday, ahead of the event his foundation hosts, the 15-time major champ discussed his health, the PGA Tour/PIF merger and more.
Woods also laid out his best-case scenario for a 2024 playing schedule. His plan is surprisingly aggressive, but one golf fans no doubt will love to hear.
“I think that best scenario would be maybe a tournament a month,” Woods said. “I think that’s realistic.”
Woods added that he’d probably have to start with the Genesis (his event, held in February at Riviera) and then something in March “near the Players.”
“Again, we have set up right now the biggest events are one per month,” he said, referring to the Tour’s eight Signature Events throughout the season. “It sets itself up for that. Now, I need to get myself ready for all that. I think this week is a big step in that direction.”
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At the Hero last year, Woods mentioned a similar goal — to play in all the major championships and “maybe one or two more.” But it was even more surprising to hear him double down on a comparable schedule for 2024, if not one that’s slightly more aggressive, given his latest injury setbacks.
But on Tuesday, despite saying his game is understandably rusty, Woods said he doesn’t have the ankle pain he had at Augusta. Other parts of his body are taking the load to compensate for it, he said, but added he’s not concerned about walking 90 holes this week (one practice round and four tournament rounds).
“Just like when I had my back fused, the forces have to go somewhere,” he said. “So it’s up the chain. As I said, I’m just as curious as all of you with what’s going to happen.”
As for what a potential best-case schedule might look like for Woods, his next confirmed start after this week is the PNC Championship with his son, Charlie, on Dec. 16-17. Then he might skip January, with his first event of the year potentially coming at the Genesis. In March, Woods could appear at the Players, which he hasn’t entered since 2019, although it’s worth noting he mentioned the event by name on Tuesday. Then, the next four months are easy: four major tournaments.
Can Woods actually tackle all of this? He’s 47, and he hasn’t played more than three PGA Tour events since the 2019-20 season. But we’ll find out soon enough.
“I love competing, I love playing,” he said. “I miss being out here with the guys, I miss the camaraderie and the fraternity-like atmosphere out here and the overall banter. But what drives me is I love to compete. There will come a point in time, I haven’t come around to it fully yet, that I won’t be able to win again. When that day comes, I’ll walk. Well, now I can walk. I won’t say run away, but I’m going to walk away.”
