Tiger Woods takes big step towards playing Masters after confirming golf return

Tiger Woods will make his biggest step towards playing at the Masters yet after confirming a return to competitive golf.

Woods hasn’t played in a professional tournament since the Open at Royal Troon in 2024 and had his latest back surgery to replace a disc last October, having also dealt with a ruptured achilles tendon last spring.

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But he will play in the TGL – the indoor golf league that he co-founded alongside Rory McIlroy – on Tuesday evening when lining up for the Jupiter Links teams in the second contest of their best-of-three final against Los Angeles Golf Club.

The Masters begins at Augusta on 9 April, with the 15-time major champion – who has won the green jacket on five occasions, most recently in 2019 – yet to confirm whether he will try to play in the tournament.

Speaking last month Woods, who turned 50 in December, said competing at the Masters was “not off the table” although acknowledged the road to recovery is not smooth.

“It’s just one of those things where it’s each and every day, I keep trying, I keep progressing,” he explained. “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.

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“As far as the disc replacement goes, it’s just sore. It takes time. My body has been through a lot. Disc replacement isn’t fun. I’ve had a fused back and now a disc replacement, so it’s challenging.”

The TGL Finals should provide an insight into how Woods’ body is holding up, although the simulator-based format can’t replicate having to walk round the course at Augusta for at least two rounds.

The Jupiter Links TGL team posted a photo of the golfing legend, accompanied with the caption, “I’m back”, on their social media and Woods – who has taken a non-playing role throughout the season so far – will join Max Homa and Tom Kim to take on Tommy Fleetwood, Justin Rose and Sahith Theegala.

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LA Golf Club won the first match in the best-of-three series and Woods plans to also play if Jupiter force a decider by winning Tuesday evening’s encounter..

Speaking after the first TGL Finals match on Monday, which LAGC won 6-5, Woods told a press conference: “I feel bad for them. As a team, we were together in this, all of us together, and it was close.

“We could have flipped in the middle of that back nine, and it came down to the last hole. Unfortunately, it didn’t happen, but we have possibly two more matches. We’re not out of this.”