For the first time since withdrawing from the Masters Tournament to undergo ankle surgery earlier this year, Tiger Woods is finally giving fans some insight into a potential return to professional competitive golf.
Speaking to a group of reporters Tuesday ahead of his Hero World Challenge in the Bahamas this week, Woods hinted at his plans for 2024 and appeared optimistic that he can again be a regular competitor on the PGA Tour.
"Best scenario would be a tournament a month," Woods said. "I think that's realistic."
"The biggest events (major championships) are one per month. It sets itself up for that," he added. "Now, I need to get myself ready for all that. I think this week is a big step in that direction."
The statement marked a significant step in his return to competition after undergoing fusion surgery on his ankle in April. At the time, Woods said the operation was to address "post-traumatic arthritis" from a previous fracture he suffered in a horrific high-speed car accident that shattered his right leg in 2021.
Nearly three years later, Woods says his game still feels a bit "rusty" but that he no longer feels any pain in the surgically repaired leg that had forced him to withdraw from multiple events.
"I'm not concerned at all about walking it," Woods said of the scheduled 90 holes he's expected to play this week. "It's more, as I said, I don't have any of the ankle pain that I had with the hardware that's been placed in my foot. That's all gone."
The 15-time major champion participated in just two tour events this past season and only made it halfway through the Masters before withdrawing. The Woods-hosted Hero tournament this week will mark his first competitive start since the Masters.
However, the 47-year-old Hall of Famer still wholly believes he has some gas in the tank and can compete again at a high level — and win. When asked if Woods thinks he can emerge victorious among a group of some of the world's top-ranked golfers this week in the Bahamas, he confidently replied, "Absolutely."
"There will come a point in time — I haven't come around to it fully yet — that I won't be able to win again," Woods said. "When that day comes, I'll walk [away]."
Gage Jackson
