Many will remember Tiger Woods’ first TGL appearance since his mother’s death last week for the blunder in club selection that left Woods and his teammates with Jupiter Links GC stunned and then in stitches. He called the mishap that grabbed headlines during his team’s loss to New York Golf Club last week, in which he misinterpreted his caddie’s yardage instructions and hit his approach shot 100 yards short, one of the most “embarrassing” moments of his golf career.
But what lingered within Woods was the feeling he had before TGL action began at the SoFi Center in Palm Beach Gardens, Florida.
“I had a hard time driving down here,” he told reporters afterward. “I hadn’t hit a golf ball since I played with the President and just put everything away and shut it off. I had a really hard time getting here and then reliving all the moments that we’ve had, my mom, how excited she was to have Charlie (Woods’ 16-year-old son) drive her here. So those are some great moments and great memories. It’s been a hard process.”
In the days since then, the emotional toll of grieving his mother’s death led Woods to put golf on the back burner and adjust his schedule again. A planned appearance for the TGL this week has joined his planned 2025 PGA Tour debut as events Woods didn’t feel ready to compete in yet. Woods hasn’t played in a professional golf tournament since The Open Championship last July.
Here’s a breakdown of the changes to Woods’ schedule and when golf’s biggest star might play in a PGA Tour event again:
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Is Tiger Woods playing in the TGL this week?
No. Woods was not listed in the lineup for Jupiter Links GC this week ahead of its match against The Bay Golf Club on Tuesday night, according to Golfweek. Teammates Max Homa, Tom Kim and Kevin Kisner will represent Jupiter Links GC with Woods out.
When will Tiger Woods play next?
The answer to this question is two-fold at this point, with Woods’s status for TGL matches and the status of his 2025 PGA Tour debut ahead of The Masters in April on different wavelengths.
Though Woods will miss Tuesday’s Jupiter Links GC match, he could still play in the team’s final regular-season match on Tuesday, March 4, against Woods’ friend Justin Thomas and Atlanta Drive GC. The TGL playoffs featuring the top four teams in the standings are set to begin with the semifinals on March 17 and 18.
Woods was asked after last week’s TGL match when he might next play at a PGA Tour event beginning with the Cognizant Classic that starts Thursday.
“I really haven’t thought about golf, so I don’t think I’m going to be thinking about it for just a little bit here,” he said.
A year ago, Woods said he aimed to play in one tournament per month. He initially committed to making his 2025 PGA Tour debut at The Genesis Invitational he hosted earlier this month but withdrew because he “wasn’t ready” yet in the wake of his mother’s death. But Woods reiterated during an interview at the event his goal of playing some “bigger events” in the future.
Woods only played in five PGA Tour events last season, and that included withdrawing after the first round of the 2024 Genesis Invitational due to an illness. He only made the cut at the Masters, finishing in 60th place.
Next month’s Arnold Palmer Invitational and The Players Championship could be possibilities for his PGA Tour return ahead of the Masters in April. Woods, though, has yet to commit to any PGA Tour event for 2025.
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Tiger Woods injury update
Woods said in December at the Hero World Challenge – a tournament he hosts in the Bahamas – that he was not physically ready and “not sharp enough” yet to compete against the best golfers on the PGA Tour following another back surgery last September. Woods underwent microdecompression surgery on his lumbar spine to relieve nerve impingement in his lower back, aiming to reduce the pain and spasms he experienced.
“I don’t want to have any setbacks. Just want to keep making progress and give myself the best chance going to next year as possible,” Woods said in December. “I feel like I’m getting stronger, I’m getting more pliable, but I got a long way to go to be able to compete against these guys.”
Woods has since played at the PNC Championship with his son, Charlie Woods, in December. Woods has also played in three matches with Jupiter Links GC in the TGL, the virtual golf league he co-founded along with a group of investors that includes Rory McIlroy.
This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: When will Tiger Woods play next? TGL, PGA Tour, Masters schedule
