Is Tiger Woods returning at the Masters? Injured legend listed as 2026 tournament participant on event website originally appeared on The Sporting News. Add The Sporting News as a Preferred Source by clicking here.
Despite numerous injuries and setbacks, Tiger Woods isn’t ready to give up competitive golf just yet. Could he make his return at the Masters in April?
Advertisement
Woods has remained unsure, at least publicly, about his chances of playing at the Masters, where he is automatically invited as a former champion.
Despite Woods’ refusal to commit, some fans believe the answer can be found on the tournament’s website.
Here’s what you need to know about Woods’ Masters status and what has fans believing a return is imminent.
MORE:Where Tiger Woods’ 1997 Masters win ranks among SN’s top 140 moments in sports history
Is Tiger Woods returning at the Masters?
Under the “invitees” section, the official Masters website currently says, “Tiger Woods is making his 27th Masters start in 2026.” Fans noticed the line, which seems to indicate Woods is planning to participate despite not making any public decision yet.
Advertisement
Despite that, there is no confirmation that Woods is planning to return at the Masters. He is automatically invited as a former champion, and it’s possible the Masters is simply using its standard language for every invited player.
Woods recently said he still wasn’t sure he would be healthy enough to return for the Masters, which starts on April 9.
“Sometimes I have good days, sometimes I have bad days. Disk replacement is not a lot of fun … I’ve had a lot of procedures prior to that, so the body doesn’t quite heal like it did when I was 24. Doesn’t quite bounce back,” Woods told reporters. “So I have good days when I can pretty much do anything, and other days where it’s hard to just move around.”
Here’s a closer look at what Woods is working to overcome.
Advertisement
Is Tiger Woods injured?
Woods suffered a torn Achilles in March 2025 and did not participate in a competitive golf event during the year. He underwent back surgery in October 2025, which delayed a potential return.
The 50-year-old is now more than a year removed from Achilles surgery, but his comments indicate working his way back from lumbar disk surgery in October has been more of a challenge.
Even after the two setbacks, which extend a long list of injuries and surgeries for the golf legend, Woods has remained committed to getting back on the golf course.
MORE:Where Tiger Woods’ 2019 Masters win ranks among SN’s top 140 moments in sports history
Advertisement
What has Tiger Woods said about a return to golf?
Woods remains insistent that he is working way to get back on the golf course and isn’t interested in retirement, but he said his body feels different day-to-day.
“My body has been through a lot. It’s one of those things, each and every day I keep trying, keep progressing and working on it,” Woods told reporters in February. “I’m trying to get this body at a level where I can play at the highest level again.”
Asked whether he can hit full shots, Woods confirmed he can “Not well every day, but I can hit them.” That’s a major step toward returning, but whether Woods can play one or two days at a competitive tournament and still feel good enough to play again is the bigger question.
Advertisement
When did Tiger Woods last play competitive golf?
Woods’ last competitive start came at the 2024 Open Championship in July of 2024. If he participates in the Masters, he will end a 21-month drought without playing competitive golf.
Woods has largely struggled in major events since his monumental Masters win in 2019. He has either missed the cut or withdrawn in nine of his last 14 major appearances and hasn’t finished top-40 in any major since the 2020 PGA Championship.
For Woods, just getting back onto the course for a competitive event after such a long time away would be a win in itself. Whether that return will be at the Masters is still unclear.
Read the full article here
