Tiger Woods’ return to the golf course will have to wait a little longer. The 15-time major winner announced on Monday afternoon that he will not be playing in the Hero World Challenge, his annual charitable tournament in the Bahamas.
“I am disappointed that I will not be able to compete this year at the Hero World Challenge,” Woods tweeted, “but always look forward to being tournament host and spending the week with @HeroMotoCorp.” Woods noted that Justin Thomas, Jason Day and Nick Dunlap — who earlier this year won a PGA Tour event as an amateur — would be joining the field.
Woods only played in five events in 2024: the Genesis Invitational, from which he withdrew, and the four majors. He finished solo 60th at this year’s Masters, and missed the cut in all three of the succeeding majors.
Woods hasn’t been seen swinging a golf club in months, and in September underwent another of the many procedures he’s had on his back. The microdecompression surgery was intended to relieve nerve pain, though there was no timetable given for recovery.
“The surgery went smoothly, and I’m hopeful this will help alleviate the back spasms and pain I was experiencing throughout most of the 2024 season,” Woods said after the September surgery. “I look forward to tackling this rehab and preparing myself to get back to normal life activities, including golf.”
This year marked the first time since 2020 that Woods played in all available majors in a season; he suffered a catastrophic car wreck in February 2021. He has continued to insist that he wants to play golf as long as he is able, despite the fact that there are growing calls for him to retire from some segments of the golf universe.
Woods is helping to develop TGL, an indoor golf league scheduled to begin play in January. He is a member of one of the six four-man teams, but has not yet indicated whether he will play in the league.
