Tiger Woods admitted he is still not ‘tournament sharp’ after his most recent back surgery as questions continue to linger over his long-term future in professional golf.
Late in November, Woods ruled himself out of this week’s Hero World Challenge, a 20-man event which he co-hosts and regularly competes in.
The 15-time major champion has not competed since missing the cut at the Open Championship in July having undergone back surgery in September.
And while admitting that the surgery had alleviated the leg pain and back spasms that inhibited his 2024 season, the American said there was still no timeline on a potential return.
‘I’m not tournament sharp yet, no. I’m still not there,’ he told a press conference on Tuesday.
‘These are 20 of the best players in the world and I’m not sharp enough to compete against them at this level. So when I’m ready to compete and play at this level, then I will.’
Woods has often used the Hero World Challenge or the PNC Championshipin mid-December as warm-ups for the new season but the 48-year-old now appears unlikely to feature in either.
A potential destination for Woods’ next competitive outing could come at the Genisis Invitational, another tournament which he hosts, in mid-February. However, that would still represent a seven-month gap between appearances, raising further concerns about his long-term future in the sport.
‘I’m just progressively trying to test it, keep making progress without setting it off,’ Woods added. ‘I don’t want to have any setbacks, just want to keep making progress and give myself the best chance going into next year as possible.
‘I feel like I’m getting stronger, I’m getting more pliable, but I’ve got a long way to go to be able to compete against these guys.’
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But despite making only five appearances in 2024 and making just one cut – at the Masters in April – Woods insisted that his lack of action has done nothing to diminish his desire to get back and compete with the best in the sport.
‘The fire still burns to compete,’ the 82-time PGA Tour winner said. ‘The difference is the recovery of the body to do it is not what it used to be.
‘I still love doing it, I love competing, I love competing in anything whether we’re playing cards or we’re playing golf. No matter what it is, I love competing. That’s never going to leave.
‘But as far as the recovery process of going out there and doing it again and again and again and doing it consistently at a high level, I can’t, for some reason the body just won’t recover like it used to. That’s part of age and part of an athlete’s journey.’
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