Tiger Woods’ return to golf will have to wait a little longer. The 15-time major winner announced Monday afternoon that he would not participate in the Hero World Challenge, his annual charity tournament in the Bahamas.
“I’m disappointed I won’t be able to compete in the Hero World Challenge this year,” Woods tweeted, “but I’m still looking forward to hosting the tournament 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 join the field.
Woods has only played in five events in 2024: the Genesis Invitational, from which he withdrew, and the four majors. He finished a solo 60th at this year’s Masters and missed the cut in the next three majors.
Woods hasn’t been seen swinging a golf club in months, and in September he underwent another of the many procedures he’s had on his back. The microdecompression surgery was intended to relieve nerve pain, although no recovery timetable was set.
“The surgery went well and I hope it helps relieve the back spasms and pain I’ve been experiencing for most of the 2024 season,” Woods said after the September surgery. “I look forward to this rehabilitation and getting ready to return to my normal activities, including golf. »
This year marked the first time since 2020 that Woods played in every available major in a season; he suffered a catastrophic car accident in February 2021. He has continued to insist that he wants to play golf as long as he can, despite calls mounting for him to retire from certain segments of the golf world.
Woods is helping develop TGL, an indoor golf league that is expected to begin play in January. He is part of one of six squads of four, but has not yet indicated whether he will play in the league.
