Tiger Woods commits to 2023 Hero World Challenge
Tiger Woods will return to competitive golf later this month at the Hero World Challenge. The 15-time major winner has not played since the spring.
But, amid his recovery from a foot injury, Woods was able to commit to returning to the competitive scene. There was hope he would play in more than just The Masters this past golf season, but he ultimately withdrew from the US Open after missing the PGA Championship.
The PGA Tour made Woods’ return official Saturday.
Woods, 47, played in just two events during the 2022-23 season. He made the cut at the 2023 Masters Tournament in April, but had to withdraw due to a foot injury. Woods made it through all four rounds of The Genesis Invitational in February, finishing T45.
Woods, who underwent right ankle surgery two weeks after the Masters, recently said he was pain-free in his ankle.
“My ankle is fine. Where they fused my ankle, I have absolutely zero issue whatsoever,” Woods said. “That pain is completely gone. It’s the other areas that have been compensated for.”
Woods added he isn’t completely pain-free in other areas.
“All the surrounding areas is where I had all my problems, and I still do,” Woods said. “So you fix one, others have to become more hypermobile to get around it… It can lead to some issues.”
Charlie Woods wins junior golf event with Tiger Woods as caddie
While everyone can’t wait for Tiger Woods to return to the course, his son Charlie received a lot of buzz this fall.
The future golf star, should he continue down this path, won the Notah Begay III Junior Golf National Championship back in September with his father Tiger Woods on the bag.
Charlie carded a 71 in the first round of the tournament but caught fire in the second round. He recorded nine birdies, shooting a 6-under-par 66 for the day. That was enough to capture the win at Mission Inn in Orlando.
After winning the tournament, Charlie said it’s pretty helpful to have his dad on the bag during these events.
“We just stay in our own little world,” Charlie said, via USA TODAY. “We take it one shot at a time. He puts me in my place.”
Tiger Woods probably provides plenty of insight while caddying for Charlie. He’s won 82 PGA Tour events and 15 major championships and knows a thing or two about winning golf tournaments.
Nick Geddes contributed to this report.