Will Tiger Woods play before the Masters? Here’s what he has to say

Tiger Woods had hoped ‘to play some bigger events’ this season, but that plan has already been derailed. So when does he expect to tee up next?

Tiger Woods’ last competitive shot was a three-footer to finish up a round of 77 at Royal Troon as he comfortably missed the cut at The Open.

The 15-time major champion played just 11 rounds in 2024 – including a single round at the Genesis Invitational before withdrawing with flu, and one made cut at the Masters.

It’s not looking much better going into this season. Woods decided not to play in the Genesis following the death of his mother, Kultida, and although he has played all three of Jupiter Links’ TGL matches so far, it feels increasingly unlikely we’ll see him on a golf course before Augusta.

The man himself, it seems, is similarly unsure.  

Speaking following Jupiter Links’ defeat to New York, in which there was an incident that Woods described as the “most embarrassing” of his career, he said: “My goal was to play more and I haven’t played.

“[I’ve] got to work on that. This process was unexpected [but] I’ll get back after it.”

Then, he reiterated a line from the earlier in the year: “I look forward to playing some bigger events.”

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The obvious place to get in some pre-Masters reps is Bay Hill – eight of Woods’ 82 PGA Tour wins have, after all, come at the Arnold Palmer Invitational – or the Players Championship.

But Woods continued to keep his cards to his chest.

“I really haven’t thought about golf,” he added. “So I don’t think I’m going to be thinking about it for just a little bit here.”

Kultida had been at Jupiter Links’ first TGL match to support her son in his new venture. And reflecting on his first appearance in the simulator-based league after her death, he said: “I had a really hard time getting here and then reliving all the moments that we’ve had, my mom, how excited she was to have [16-year-old son] Charlie drive her here. Those are some great moments and great memories. It’s been a hard process.”

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