Tiger Woods Gives Incredibly Grim Outlook On When He May Play Competitive Golf Again

Tiger Woods underwent what is believed to be his sixth back surgery in the last decade in September. Given that he went under the knife less than three months ago, it's entirely understandable that he's recovering and in no shape to tee it up in this week's Hero World Challenge, the annual event he hosts in the Bahamas.

With the Hero World Challenge set to begin Thursday, Woods spoke with the media Tuesday morning to give what was a rather grim update on his playing future. To paint the clearest picture of just how much circumstances have changed for the 15-time major winner, you have to go back 365 days to the 2023 edition of the tournament.

Woods finished 18th in the 20-player field in last year's Hero World Challenge, but his finish was by no means the top headline from the event. Instead, it was Woods expressing his desire to play once a month in 2024.

The soon-to-be 49-year-old ultimately made five starts in 2024 and only made one cut in those five starts, a 60th-place finish in the Masters.

Tiger Woods shared a not-so-stellar update about his health and potential return to competitive golf ahead of the 2024 Hero World Challenge. (Photo by David Cannon/Getty Images)

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Obviously, Woods did not foresee yet another back surgery in his future, but that's the reality he's facing yet again, which includes one where he has no idea when he could make his return to competitive golf.

"I didn’t think my back was going to go like it did this year," Woods said. "It was quite painful throughout the end of the year and hence I had another procedure done to it to alleviate the pain I had going down my leg. So whether my commitment going forward is once a month, yeah, I could say that all over again, but I truly don’t know."

Woods undoubtedly has his sights on playing in the 2025 Masters in April, but the fact that he did not mention Augusta National and instead used the phrase "I truly don't know" sums up the situation.

"The pain that was going down my leg and the spasms were tough through the end of the year, so that's been alleviated," Woods continued. "I still don't quite walk right, but that's kind of an issue with my ankle."

We could potentially see Woods tee it up with his son, Charlie, in the PNC Championship where he could use a golf cart later this month, but he has yet to make any commitment. Based on his comments about still very much being in the recovery and rehab process of the journey, it feels like it would be a bit of a shock to see him tee it up in the exhibition in about two weeks time.