Tiger Woods still working towards PGA Tour return and featuring alongside Brooks Koepka
Tiger Woods hinted he is still contemplating a return to the PGA Tour despite slow progress in his rehabilitation from back surgery.
Woods went under the knife in October to replace a disk in his lower back and says middle-age means he is not recovering as quickly as he did earlier in his career.
The 50-year-old has been hitting short- and mid-irons but has yet to unleash a driver.
He told ESPN: “Whenever that time comes, when I start hitting drivers and I start playing at home and start doing all the different things, I will have been away from the game for a year and a half so I will be very rusty.
“There’s a lot that goes into it, so my prep is going to have to be a little bit different from my other procedures I’ve had in the past. I’ve had to stay a lot more patient with myself. I get sore faster, I guess because I’m 50. And that happens.”
Tiger Woods excited by Koepka return
Woods has not played on the PGA Tour since taking part at the 2024 Open Championship at Troon.
If he does return to the Tour, he will be competing against Brooks Koepka following the American’s decision to come back from LIV Golf.
Koepka has opted to quit the Saudi-backed rival and move back under the new Returning Member Program, open to those that have won a major or the Players Championship since 2022.
“It’s incredible for all the fans,” Woods said of Koepka’s decision. “The fan initiative program that we did last year was what they wanted, they want to see the best play against the best. And for Brooks to want to come back, a year early, and he was able to do that.”
Woods is also a member of the PGA Tour policy board and says there should be no resentment towards Koepka.
“There’s some punitive damages there, but it’s a meritocracy; that’s what makes our game so great,” he said. “(Koepka is) going to play full-field events, and he has the ability to earn his way up to signature events. If he’s good, he’s good. If he plays great, he plays great. If he wins tournaments, he wins tournaments. There’s no reason why we should hold him back.”