I’m not backing off my Tiger Woods prediction.
I predicted last spring that Tiger Woods would play his first PGA Tour Champions event in September 2026 at the Stifel Charity Classic event, and I’m sticking with that prognostication.
However, the date has changed. The 2026 Stifel Charity Classic, presented by Compliance Solutions, will return to Norwood Hills Country Club in north St. Louis County as a Charles Schwab Playoff Cup the week of October 19-25.
While Woods will likely not be in the running for the PGA Tour Champions playoff championship, his historic success on the PGA Tour would make him the toast of the tournament.
Woods certainly would like to play alongside his son, Charlie, in a PGA Tournament event in 2026, and the lure of The Masters is always present. But the calendar points to St. Louis.
Woods has not played competitively since a tournament on March 4. It’s not only that Woods’ golf game is falling apart, but his body is also.
Last Friday, Woods underwent his seventh back surgery in just over a decade. He had a lumbar disc replacement. He is still recovering from an Achilles tendon rupture he suffered in April.
In addition to the back surgeries, Woods has “gone under the knife” for respective procedures on his leg, knees and ankle.
He was seriously injured in a one-vehicle accident, which led to several surgeries. But age and the torque of his golf swing have taken a toll.
“After experiencing pain and lack of mobility in my back … I opted to have my disc replaced yesterday, and I already know I made a good decision for my health and my back,” Woods wrote on X.
There is no timetable for Woods’ return to action from the Achilles injury or his latest back surgery.
One date is almost certain though — Woods turns 50 on Dec. 30. This will make him eligible for the PGA Tour Champions circuit.
In January 2024, Golf Monthly reported that Woods was “eagerly” looking forward to competing on the PGA Champions Tour, in part because he could use a golf cart.
Jack Nicklaus told the magazine “[Tiger would] love to play the senior tour. That’s what I love about Tiger, he’s a competitor, he loves competition.”
Miller Brady, PGA Tour Champions president, said in 2024 that the tour is already preparing for Woods’ arrival.
“It’s not too early to just think through everything. So, we’ve done that, we’ve had conversations at the annual meetings with all of our tournaments about it,” Brady said.
During a December 2021 press conference Woods said with a smile, “Four more years and I’m in a cart.”
What better time (October), course (Norwood Hills) or place (St. Louis) to begin the next chapter of Woods’ legendary golfing career.
The Reid Roundup
Should Tiger Woods join the PGA Tour Champions in 2026, he would join Black golfer Tim O’Neal, who finished in a 6th-place tie at the Stifel Classic this year. O’Neal, who golfed in college at Jackson State University, has one Tour Champions event title and three top-10 finishes during his two years of competition… LeBron James of the Los Angeles Lakers will miss the season’s opening weeks as he deals with sciatica – pressure on nerves that run down the lower back and into a leg. It’s agony. It struck me in November 2010, and it was March 2021 before I could run again…Dallas QB Dak Prescott is having an MVP-quality season. He has completed 71.6% of 229 pass attempts for 1,617 yards, 13 touchdowns and just three interceptions…KC Chiefs QB Patrick Mahomes passed for 257 yards and three touchdowns in a 30-17 win over Detroit on Sunday night. He also rushed for 34 yards and a touchdown…Mahomes became the fastest QB to 300 combined TDs (139 games), surpassing former Miami QB and Hall of Fame member Dan Marino (147 games)…Former St. Louis Cardinal Randy Arozerena stole two bases and scored a run during the eighth inning of Seattle’s 3-1 over Toronto in the opening game of the American League Championship Series. During six games of the 2025 postseason, he has four hits, an RBI and 4 runs scored.
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