Tiger Woods’ return to the golf courses will have to wait a little longer. The 15-time major winner announced Monday afternoon that he will not play 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 always look 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 only played in five events in 2024: the Genesis Invitational, from which he withdrew, and the four majors. He finished only 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 many procedures performed on his back. The microdecompression surgery was aimed at relieving nerve pain, although no timetable was given for recovery.
“The surgery went without a hitch and I hope this helps alleviate the spasms and back pain I experienced for most of the 2024 season,” Woods said after the September surgery. “I look forward to addressing this rehab and preparing to return to normal life activities, including golf.”
This year marked the first time since 2020 that Woods played in every available major in one season; 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 growing calls for him to retire from some segments of the golf universe.
Woods is helping develop TGL, an indoor golf league scheduled to begin in January. He is a member of one of the six teams of four, but has not yet indicated whether he will play in the league.