Tiger Woods isn’t rushing anything these days - not his return to competitive golf, not a potential Ryder Cup captaincy, and certainly not his recovery from yet another back surgery. The 15-time major champion, now 49, is still navigating the long road back after undergoing a disk replacement procedure in October, and while he’s cleared a few early rehab milestones, he’s keeping expectations - and timelines - in check.
Speaking ahead of the Hero World Challenge in the Bahamas, an event he hosts, Woods offered a rare bit of clarity in a year filled with uncertainty. He’s not ready to commit to any playing schedule for 2026, and when it comes to the 2027 Ryder Cup at Adare Manor in Ireland, the situation is even murkier. Despite widespread speculation that he’s the obvious choice to lead Team USA, Woods says no one has officially approached him about captaining the squad.
“No one’s asked me about it,” Woods said plainly, repeating the line when pressed. That includes any follow-up from the 2025 Ryder Cup at Bethpage Black - a tough loss for the Americans that Woods watched closely from afar. “I watched pretty much all of it and was talking to the players and the captains involved in it, everyone involved on the US side.”
For now, his focus is twofold: getting healthy and helping shape the future of the PGA TOUR through his role as chairman of the Future Competition Committee. That group is deep in the weeds of what could be a significant overhaul to the TOUR’s schedule starting in the 2027-28 season. It’s a big-picture job that suits Woods’ evolving role in the game - part legend, part architect of what’s next.
But make no mistake - the fire to compete still burns. Woods admitted that recovery has been slower than he’d like, but he’s following the process, step by step.
“It’s not as fast as I’d like it to be,” he said. “It was a good thing to do, something I needed to happen.
It just takes time and dedication to the rehab process.”
This isn’t uncharted territory for Woods. He’s been through the grind of rehab before - multiple times, in fact - and knows better than anyone that patience is part of the deal.
“Unfortunately I’ve been through this rehab process before and it’s step-by-step,” he said. “Once I get a feel for the recovery process, I can decide where and when to play.”
He was just cleared last week to chip and putt, marking a small but meaningful step forward. “It’s been six weeks last Friday since the operation and it’s been slow,” he said.
“You can’t really do much with a disc replacement. Now we have the OK to start cranking it up in the gym and start strengthening.”
So, while he won’t tee it up at the Hero World Challenge or the PNC Championship later this month, Woods is still eyeing a return - eventually. “My passion to just play, I haven’t done that in a long time and it’s been a tough year,” he said.
“I’ve had to sit on the sidelines for a number of months of this year and the end of last year. I’d like to come back to just playing golf again.”
That comeback, whenever it happens, may not include the PGA TOUR Champions right away, even with his 50th birthday looming on December 30. Woods says he hasn’t spent much time looking at that schedule, and any decisions about where or how much he’ll play will depend entirely on how his body responds in the coming months.
“I need time to figure this out with my back and with my body,” he said. “As I start to get more explosive and start to rotate and see what I've got, then I can find out or assess what tournaments I could play in, how much I should play, where I would like to play.”
In the meantime, Woods is pouring energy into the TOUR’s future. The schedule for 2027-28 is a major focus, and the goal is clear: build a product that delivers for players, fans, and sponsors alike.
“It’s been not exactly golf-based, it’s been personally golf-based,” Woods said of his work on the schedule. “It’s been about trying to do what’s best for the TOUR.”
That means creating a calendar that features the strongest fields, maximizes fan engagement, and opens doors for international collaboration - but always with the PGA TOUR as the centerpiece. “We’re trying to create, yes, other global opportunities for our players, for other tours to enhance their tours, enhance their product,” Woods said. “But I think it all starts with the best tour on the planet, which is ours.”
As for the rest of the golf world, there’s plenty of action happening this week. Rory McIlroy is back in the mix at the Australian Open at Royal Melbourne, where the winner earns a spot in the Masters and three non-exempt players who make the cut will qualify for The 154th Open at Royal Birkdale. Over on the DP World Tour, Tom McKibbin joins Viktor Hovland and Marco Penge in the field at the Nedbank Golf Challenge at the Gary Player Country Club in Sun City.
Woods may not be swinging a club this week, but make no mistake - he’s still shaping the game in a big way. Whether it’s through his committee work, his hosting duties, or his eventual return to competition, Tiger remains as influential as ever. And while the timeline for his comeback is still up in the air, the intent is crystal clear: he’s not done yet.