Tiger Woods told SiriusXM PGA Tour Radio that he is feeling better and training quite a bit as he weighs a return to competitive golf at next month’s Hero World Challenge.
The 15-time major champion has not played competitive golf since the TGL finals in March, when his Jupiter Links Golf Club lost to Los Angeles Golf Club. He last played an official PGA Tour event at the 2024 Open Championship at Royal Troon in Scotland, missing the cut before a series of injuries sidelined him.
Speaking in an interview that aired on Tuesday, Woods offered a direct update on his physical progress. “I’m feeling better, no doubt about that,” Woods told SiriusXM PGA Tour Radio. “I’ve been training quite a bit.”
Woods hosts the Hero World Challenge, a 20-man, no-cut tournament at Albany in the Bahamas. While seventeen players have been announced for the Dec. 3-6 event, tournament organizers left three spots open for exemptions, and Woods was absent from the initial field.
World number one Scottie Scheffler and defending champion Hideki Matsuyama headline the initial field, which also includes Matt Fitzpatrick, Robert MacIntyre, Cameron Young, Xander Schauffele, and Justin Thomas among the 17 confirmed competitors. Golf Channel is scheduled to televise all four rounds of the event, with NBC providing coverage of the weekend rounds.
When asked about his playing status for the tournament, Woods offered a characteristically coy reply. “I will be at Hero,” Woods said with a laugh. “I’m there either way, so I’ll see you there!”
Tiger Woods says he's "feeling better" and has been training quite a bit. "I will be at Hero [World Challenge]. I'm there either way, so I'll see you there!" Could we see Tiger on the course at the Hero in less than a month? pic.twitter.com/4ojh3hW9Rv
The 50-year-old’s recovery path has been complicated by multiple physical procedures and a car crash. Following the single-vehicle rollover accident, Woods was arrested on suspicion of driving under the influence. He subsequently entered a no-contest plea to misdemeanor charges of reckless driving and refusal to submit to a lawful test.
He also stepped away from golf to seek treatment and complete a 90-day program in Switzerland.
Before the crash, Woods had endured several medical setbacks. He ruptured his left Achilles tendon in March 2025 and underwent his seventh back surgery on October 10, 2025, following a disc replacement surgery on his lumbar spine, which came roughly a year after he underwent microdecompression surgery in September 2024.
Beyond the Bahamas, other competitive opportunities loom on the calendar. NBC golf analyst Kevin Kisner said on a podcast that he was no longer part of the team this season, in part, because he was told by Rob McNamara, Woods’ longtime friend and business partner, that “Tiger wanted to play a full schedule.” Kisner added that he expects Woods to play in both the Hero World Challenge and the PNC Championship in December.
The PNC Championship runs Dec. 17-20 in Orlando, Florida, where tournament organizers are holding a spot in the field in case Woods is healthy enough to partner with his son, Charlie. Woods would be permitted to use a golf cart during the 36-hole, two-person scramble.
Jupiter Links is scheduled to begin its TGL season December 27.