The great Tiger Woods is turning 50 years old and his days of dominating on the PGA Tour or claiming Major championships are almost certainly over.
That has proved easier said than done over recent years, however, with three surgeries in a 13-month period most recently leaving the California-born pro’s last competitive start as the 2024 Open Championship.
Moving forward, it seems most likely that Woods will look to play the Majors plus the Genesis Invitational – a tournament he hosts – and the PNC Championship. If his body holds up to a limited schedule, Woods may even compete in a handful of PGA Tour Champions events.
But, as it stands, the 82-time PGA Tour winner is still working his way through the rehabilitation process after his latest back surgery and concrete plans for 2026 remain very much in the air.
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At the Hero World Challenge, Woods explained that while he does plan to play pro golf again one day, he is in no mood to rush back and ultimately extend his time on the sidelines.
But once he does return to pro golf, what will he be capable of? Can he win again or will the rigours of the game be simply too much for him to bear? Four Golf Monthly writers have shared their thoughts below.
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He is Tiger Woods, so when he is healthy enough he is going to be able to play some pretty phenomenal golf. Granted, Woods being healthy is sadly a rare phenomenon but I am confident we’ll see him win again.
Whether he’ll ever win again on the PGA Tour does seem unlikely these days with the limited golf he is able to play, and realistically he probably only has another couple of years to get that 83rd PGA Tour title. Sam Snead won at 52, Phil Mickelson won a Major at 50 and Davis Love III won on the PGA Tour at 51 so it certainly isn’t off the table.
I can definitely see him winning a US Senior Open and overtaking Bobby Jones to win a record 10th USGA title, though, and he will definitely win the PNC Championship with Charlie before Woods jnr turns pro.
Whatever happens, I’ll just be happy to see him back walking the fairways again in hopefully as little pain as possible.
Jonny Leighfield
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I see Woods playing a handful more Major championships before going on for a few more years on the senior circuit, but that’s it.
History tells us that his body won’t allow for more than that before injuries takes a hold again, and I think he will become fed up (if it hasn’t happened already) with the constant rehab and the amount of time it takes to come back.
Woods is so busy with so many other aspects of the game anyway, he could almost have slipped into semi-retirement already and no one would know.
All fans would ask for is one definite final chance to say thank you and goodbye, and then Woods would be free to play the PNC Championship, a few one-off events and help define the next chapter of the sport from the boardroom.
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It pains me to say it, given that – for me – Woods is the best golfer that’s ever lived, but I feel his playing career on the PGA Tour is coming to an end.
If, or when, he does return, I think he’ll carry on playing the Majors, given that they will want him in their championships, and the odd few PGA Tour events, such as the Genesis Invitational etc.
Personally, I think he will focus on playing a few PGA Tour Champions tournaments, a bit like Phil Mickelson did before he joined LIV Golf. Typically, those are three-day events, aside from the Majors, which will be better on Woods’ body.
What’s more, if he wants to, he can use a cart. This is something that the 15-time Major winner is against, but it’s a nice option to have if the body isn’t playing ball.
Paul Higham
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I do worry for Tiger as there just seems no end to all these surgeries, and at some point he’ll have to decide if it’s worth all the trouble to try and get back out competing.
I can’t see much of a PGA Tour return if I’m honest just due to his lack of mobility, he simply can’t walk the course for a full tournament to be able to compete.
Best case scenario I think is for Tiger to hit the seniors circuit, get himself a golf cart and try and challenge the over-50s. That could give him confidence and fitness to then go play in the odd Major here and there, but his days of challenging in them seem over.