Tiger Woods had not responded publicly as of midday on March 27 to President Donald Trump’s comments on a Fox News Show the day before that the five-time Masters champion would not enter the tournament in two weeks at the Augusta National Golf Club.
However, he did do something else: registered for the U.S. Senior Open, which is July 2-5 at the Scioto Country Club in Columbus, Ohio.
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However, the United States Golf Association was quick to state that registering as an exempt player is a formality and Wood has yet to commit to playing.
Tiger Woods has not confirmed what President Donald Trump told everyone on a Fox News show on March 26, that he will not play in the Masters. He did, however, register for the U.S. Senior Open.
“Tiger has entered the championship, simply to ensure eligibility, but will not make a decision about playing until a later date,” the statement said.
Woods turned 50 years old in December and is eligible for PGA Tour Champions events this year. He is exempt into the U.S. Senior Open through 2035 as a past U.S. Open champion who is in his first 10 years of Champions Tour eligibility.
Where will Tiger Woods play on PGA Tour Champions?
It’s been an exercise in tea leaf reading to figure out when Woods will play his first senior event. He said last week his recovery from Achilles Tendon and back surgery last year has still been slow, but he is hitting balls and played in the TGL championship match earlier this week in Palm Beach Gardens.
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Woods might be tempted to play in the U.S. Senior Open for two reasons: it gives him a chance to become the first to win the U.S. Junior, U.S. Amateur, U.S. Open and U.S. Senior Open, giving him a Grand Slam of USGA national championships; and the tournament is at the course where his boyhood idol, Jack Nicklaus, learned to play golf.
Nicklaus and Arnold Palmer are the only players to win the U.S. Amateur, U.S. Open and U.S. Senior Open. Neither won the U.S. Junior, which Woods captured three times.
Other Champions Tour majors Woods may consider are the Senior PGA April 16-19 in Bradenton, across the state from his Jupiter home; and the Kaulig Companies Championship July 9-12 at the Firestone Country Club in Akron, Ohio, where he won eight times.
There are two other PGA Tour Champions events on courses where Woods won on the PGA Tour, the Ally Challenge Aug. 28-30 at the Warwick Hills Country Club in Grand Blanc, Mich., and the Pure Insurance Challenge Sept. 18-20 at Pebble Beach.
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President Trump said Woods is out of the Masters
Two days after Woods was still non-committal on whether he’d play in the Masters, President Donald Trump said during an appearance on the Fox News show “The Five” on March 26 that Woods will not play in the tournament.
The President blurted out the news when he was asked to pick a winner of the Masters.
US President Donald Trump presents US golfer Tiger Woods with the Presidential Medal of Freedom during a ceremony in the Rose Garden of the White House in Washington, DC, on May 6, 2019. (Photo by SAUL LOEB / AFP via Getty Images)
“I love Tiger, but he won’t be there,” Trump said. “Well, he’ll be there, but he won’t be playing in it.”
Woods only committed to being on the grounds at Augusta National, presumably for the Champions Dinner.
“I’ve been trying,” Woods said during a news conference on March 24. “This body just doesn’t recover like it did when I was 24 or 25. I want to play. I love the tournament. I love being there since I was 19 years old. I’m going to be there either way.”
This article originally appeared on Florida Times-Union: Tiger Woods registers for U.S. Senior Open July 2-5 at Scioto Country Club
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