We are three weeks away from The Masters, and we still aren’t certain if the greatest golfer of all time will be teeing it up at Augusta National.
Tiger Woods underwent his seventh back surgery towards the end of 2025, and did not lay out a timeline for his return. But prior to the Genesis Invitational, the 15-time major winner crept open the door for him to potentially play at The Masters.
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Woods, a five-time winner at Augusta National, last played in a professional event in 2024. His long-awaited return could be right around the corner, and he provided an update on his back when asked about the likelihood of seeing him play at The Masters.
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Tiger Woods said some days it’s hard to move following back surgery
Woods was asked how close he was to returning to golf ahead of The Masters, and his answer wasn’t promising. He said he has good and bad days, and on his bad days it’s hard to move.
He said at TGL, “I said I’ve been working on it. Sometimes I have good days, sometimes I have bad days. Disk replacement is not a lot of fun. So Will Zalatoris went through it, he had two levels done, and it takes time.
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“So as I said, I’ve had a lot of procedures prior to that, so the body doesn’t quite heal like it was when I was 24. Doesn’t quite bounce back. So I have good days when I can pretty much do anything, and other days where it’s hard to just to move around.”
If three weeks away from The Masters, Woods is struggling to move, then his return is extremely unlikely. There are few tougher walks than the undulating fairways of Augusta.
Woods doesn’t seem close to returning, especially considering he can’t really swing a club in anger yet.
Tiger Woods confirms he’s been trying to return to TGL
Woods’ TGL team, Jupiter Golf Links, are through to the final of TGL without Woods playing. Woods has served as a coach to help his team reach the finale, but has not been able to play.
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But that’s not without his best efforts, as he said after the semi-final: “ I think that I have been trying to play each and every one of these matches.
“I’ve been trying to come back. But it just hasn’t worked out that way. I’ve had a bad run of injuries last year. I think it’s been a year and a few days since I blew out my Achilles. And so then I’ve had two back operations.
“So it’s been a little rough go. But the guys here, this team, we have so much fun, I really don’t want to screw up the lineup, I just want these guys to keep playing.”
If Woods hasn’t been able to play in a simulator league without the added stress of walking a course, then it seems unlikely that he’ll be able to play Augusta in less than a month’s time.
Still, we can hope.
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