Tiger Woods eyeing a return to golf. When will we see him?

Tiger Woods walked out of the Martin County Courthouse this month with his most recent legal issue resolved … unless he decides to drive and is caught.

That leaves us looking ahead to the next chapter in the 15-time major champion and Hall of Fame golfer’s life, which includes his future on the golf course.

When will we see Woods play again? And when he does, what will that look like?

Neither question can be easily answered, although we can narrow down the first.

The last time we saw Woods swing a club was in his only TGL match of the 2026 season, the finals on March 24. His Jupiter Links team lost to Los Angeles Golf Club in two straight matches. Tiger only played in the second.

After warming up, Woods made five swings that night, plus four putts. Following the match, he was optimistic his recovery from disc replacement surgery in October and a ruptured Achilles in March was on schedule and he was hopeful he could play the Masters.

“Just this body is … it doesn’t recover like it did when it was 24, 25,” Woods said then when asked about the Masters. “It doesn’t mean I’m not trying. I’ve been trying for a while. I’ve had a couple bad injuries here over the past years that I’ve had to fight through and it’s taken some time.

“But I keep trying. I want to play. I love the tournament.”

But three days later, Woods was arrested on charges of DUI with property damage and refusal to submit to a DUI test after a two-vehicle crash on Jupiter Island, not far from his home.

Days later, he issued a statement saying he was seeking treatment and “stepping away” from golf to “prioritize” his well-being and recovery.

After completing an inpatient program in Switzerland and agreeing to a plea agreement that resulted in his license being suspended for five years, Tiger can get back to prioritizing golf.

Woods agreed to the deal in which he pleaded no contest to the reduced charge of reckless, willful driving, which comes with a five-year license suspension and $1,000 fine.

His refusal to submit to the sobriety test comes with a five-year license suspension and a $500 fine. The two license suspensions will be served concurrently.

Woods attorney, Douglas Duncan, said the decision was made to bring closure to the case and to allow Woods and his family to move on with their lives.

Woods has not played official PGA Tour event since 2024 British Open

Tiger Woods of Jupiter Links GC tees off during match against Los Angeles Golf Club during the TGL finals at SoFi Center on March 24, 2026, in Palm Beach Gardens, Florida.

Woods’ last official PGA Tour event was the 2024 British Open at Royal Troon. Since, he’s had two major back surgeries in 2024 and 2025. He played in the 2024 PNC Championship with son, Charlie, and a handful of TGL events, in 2025 and one this year.

Since he was ramping up his rehab in March to play in the Masters, the inactivity since the accident likely has been a benefit for his body.

Now, Woods has plenty of options as to when he returns to competitive golf. Having turned 50 in December, the Tour Champions offers him a chance to ease into golf with three-day events and the accepted use of carts.

So would Tiger sign up for the Furyk & Friends, hosted by Jim Furyk, the man who was handed the captaincy of the 2027 Ryder Cup team after Tiger took himself out of the running, to make his Tour Champions debut? The tournament is Oct. 9-11 in Palm Coast, about a three-hour drive from Woods’ home.

If not, Woods could wait until the Hero World Challenge, an unofficial PGA Tour event he hosts and is held every December in the Bahamas. He has played the event one time since 2019 (2023) but even when he is not playing he usually attends.

The Hero could be a nice soft opening, as would be the PNC Championship in Orlando the weekend before Christmas, which features major champions playing with a family member. Woods has played five of the last six years with son, Charlie. The 36-hole event is low key and carts are allowed.

Same for TGL as the indoor, high-tech league founded by Woods and Rory McIlroy enters its third year. Woods is a co-owner of Jupiter Links Golf Club. Matches are held at SoFi Center in Palm Beach Gardens.

The guess is he will play one of the two events in December, just to remove some of the rust before the start of the PGA Tour season.

Then, his priority would be the Genesis Invitational, scheduled for Feb. 18-21 at the Riviera Country Club in Pacific Palisades. Woods hosts the event and it benefits his TGR Foundation.

Since Woods is not eligible for the 2027 Players Championship, next up would be the Masters, the one event that will be on his mind from the start of the season. And possibly is already.

If Woods decides not to play his first senior circuit event this year, then what better spot to make his debut than the James Hardie Pro Football Hall of Fame Invitational March 1-7 at the Old Course at Broken Sound in Boca Raton.

Tom D’Angelo is a senior sports columnist and reporter for The Palm Beach Post. He can be reached at tdangelo@pbpost.com.

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