Tiger Woods still working on recovery after latest injuries, doesn’t rule out Masters return in April

Woods announced last March that he had ruptured his left Achilles’ tendon while training at home, which knocked him out for the majority of the PGA Tour season. Then in October, Woods announced that he had undergone a lumbar disc replacement surgery in his lower back, which marked at least the seventh back procedure of his career.

Woods had already started cutting his playing schedule significantly in recent years, especially after the car crash that nearly resulted in him losing his right leg in 2021. He has said repeatedly that his goal is to play in the four major championships and a select few other events each season.

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Woods, though, missed the cut in three of the four majors in 2024. He made the cut at the Masters that season, but he finished 60th. Woods has actually only finished three of his last 13 Tour events dating back to 2020.

The Achilles injury, Woods said on Tuesday from Riviera Country Club, is no longer an issue for him. He’s able to hit full shots again, too. The issue, he said, is simply his back.

“I can’t dunk a basketball anymore, so don’t have to worry about that,” Woods said with a laugh. “As far as the disc replacement, it’s just sore. It takes time … My body has been through a lot. It’s just one of those things where it’s each and every day, I keep trying, I keep progressing, I keep working on it, trying to get stronger, trying to get more endurance in this body and trying to get it at a level at which I can play at the highest level again.”

Woods is not in the field this week for the signature event on Tour, the final one on the west coast swing, though he is the event’s host. He also said he didn’t have a direct target to start playing again.

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“I’m trying, put it that way,” he said about how close he is.

Woods has won 82 times on Tour in his career, which has him tied with Sam Snead’s all-time record. He’s won 15 major championships, too, which trails only Jack Nicklaus’ record of 18. His last major win was at Augusta National in 2019.

Despite his one-word comment on Tuesday, Woods playing at Augusta National in a few months is still very much up in the air. He hasn’t played on Tour since the British Open in July, 2024. And simply saying it’s not off the table is far from a commitment to being in the field at the premier golf event on the calendar each year.

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Also, based on his recent playing history, who knows how well he’d actually do at Augusta.

But as a five-time winner, Woods has an invitation to play in the Masters whenever he wants it. If he’s physically able to, knowing Woods, he’s going to make the trip.

Now, the golf world waits.