Tiger Woods sets course for now, future at Hero World Challenge
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[November 29, 2023]
Tiger Woods returns to professional golf this week, and his
reasons for teeing it up are profoundly few.
"I love to compete. There will come a time when I can no longer win.
When that time comes, I will walk away," Woods said Tuesday in
Albany, The Bahamas as he prepares for the 2023 Hero World
Challenge. "I love the camaraderie, being around the guys."
Last seen at a competitive tournament limping through the 2023
Masters, Woods required ankle fusion surgery and another intensive
rehab period to get his game to a level he felt was up to his lofty
standards. He finally decided after working as the caddie for his
son, Charlie, that endurance was no longer a roadblock.
"My game feels rusty," the 15-time major champion said. "I haven't
played in a while. I'm excited to compete and play. I'm just as
curious as all of you are to see what happens. I can tell you this,
I don't have any of the pain I had in Augusta in my ankle. Other
parts are taking the brunt of the load. But that surgery was a
success."
The 47-year-old Woods has struggled to walk 18 holes since his
February 2021 car accident that resulted in severe injuries to his
right foot and leg.
But in a repeat of statements he made in his previous return to
tournament golf, Woods said he wouldn't be playing if he didn't
believe he could win.
Woods, who shares the all-time record for PGA wins with Sam Snead
(82), said his ideal scenario for the 2024 season would be playing
one tournament per month. He's optimistic his body is ready for this
week, but doesn't want to make long-term decisions about his
schedule without real-time gauges of his readiness starting this
week.
"I was hitting golf balls a lot trying to get Charlie ready for the
event and then post-event, I thought, ‘I can probably do this,'"
Woods said.
"I've played a lot of holes. I haven't used a pencil and a
scorecard."
Even if Woods' limp is eliminated and his leg strength isn't a
worry, there are physical constraints to his game that weren't there
five or 10 years ago.
Still, Woods said there is no worry in his mind about walking 90
holes thanks to "the hardware placed in my foot," but "my knee
hurts, my back ... the force has to go somewhere. It's just up the
chain."
Woods said he faced a decision to add hardware to his ankle or
replace it.
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"It was bone on bone. The only way to fix that was to replace it or
have it fused," Woods said. "The next part is the hard part. The six
months of doing nothing. The first couple months were really rough.
... I'm here on the good side now."
The tournament is a temporary pause in what Woods considers is most
important task at hand, particularly with a deadline at the end of
the calendar year for the PGA Tour and LIV Golf to mold the
framework agreement into a working golf circuit that appeases
players and sponsors.
Citing that deadline, Woods said he's pleased with the new process
in place with player directors on the PGA Tour board, but voiced
frustration with the pace of changes he backed for shifts in
"governance."
"December 31 is coming up very quickly," Woods said. "All the player
directors have spent so many hours, worked tireless hours, to make
sure that we have the best feel for all of the players that are
involved. The entire PGA Tour."
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Implementation of governance should ensure a deal
gets done "the right way," he said, but reminded multiple options
are available to the PGA Tour. Woods decided to become one of six
player directors to "not have what transpired happen ever again,"
referencing the decision by commissioner Jay Monahan to drop the
framework agreement in the laps of tour membership without player
input.
"We have to protect what the tour is, and do it with integrity,"
Woods said, allowing he understands Rory McIlroy's decision to step
away from the player board.
He said all parties understand the deadline in place and described
the full PGA Tour board as "accepting" of the player's desire to be
empowered to make decisions faster.
"We have to make sure we have access to the game," Woods said. "We
have to take care of the players. Without the players, there is no
tour. Not just financially. How do we have the best competitive
atmosphere week to week. What does that look like? What do they have
to give up to have that?"
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Woods said a "pathway back" to the PGA Tour for those who bolted for
LIV Golf is part of the ongoing negotiations and has been for
months. He said he has faith in Monahan and what he could do moving
forward.
He said he's confident a deal would "get done in some way" and
described all parties involved as working without animosity to move
forward.
"It's murky," Woods said of how he views golf two years from now,
identifying options that include team golf, PGA and others. "What is
the best solution for all parties? The best solution for all players
involved."
Woods said there are positives to be taken from the team golf
aspect.
Though not yet ready to embrace being called a senior leader, Woods
said he wants to be a positive force for the next generation of
golfers.
"When you come out in your 20s you are young and impressionable and
ask questions," Woods said. "This is a natural progression. I've
gained so much direction asking questions. Just to be able to pick
their brains, that's what the game is all about.
The Hero World Challenge prize purse is jumping to $4.5 million this
year and $5 million in 2024. Woods' foundation benefits from the
event and he said the timing at the end of the season made it a
springboard into the upcoming year.
"Whether you win or not, the game of golf definitely wins with you
coming back to the course," Dr. Pawan Munjal, executive chairman of
Hero Motocorp, said. "All of us are very excited with you coming
back."
Woods said he'll ideally be ready to outline a schedule for next
season after the end of this weekend's tournament.
--Field Level Media
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