Tiger Woods’ latest back surgery is distressing news for the PGA Tour Champions, who were quietly counting on the 15-time major winner’s arrival later this year to create some much-needed interest in their product.
When Mr. Woods turns 50 on December 30, he’ll become eligible to compete in the 50-plus circuit. His arrival would be a game-changer for a tour that struggles for attention and most recently has its players fuming over a 20% cut to its pension fund.
Subsidized by the PGA Tour, the Champions tour had the annual contribution to its player pension fund slashed to $8 million from $10 million at a time when the PGA Tour is spending millions in prize money and incentives to keep its best players from going to LIV Golf.
“It’s disheartening,” Peter Jacobsen, a long-time Tour pro and golf commentator, told Golfweek. “The PGA Tour is flush with cash, throwing money at keeping players from going to LIV, and meanwhile, we’re getting crumbs. The Champions Tour is becoming LIV-lite. Too much money is going to too few, and the rest of us are left scrambling.”
Mr. Woods has never confirmed he intends to join the Champions tour, but some of those he competed against in his prime are trying to persuade him to join their aging crowd, who are allowed to use carts during tournament competitions.
“I’ve said, please come play,” four-time major winner Ernie Els told the Palm Beach Post. “I think it can only be beneficial to him. He will get himself in golf shape. You can ride a cart without any shame and if there was one guy that should be able to drive a cart, it’s him.”
Mr. Woods’ latest surgery might delay that from becoming a reality. He underwent lumbar disc replacement surgery on his lower spine on Friday. It was his seventh back surgery in 11 years, and the second significant procedure this year after undergoing surgery in March to repair a torn Achilles.
“After experiencing pain and lack of mobility in my back, I consulted with doctors and surgeons to have tests taken,” he said in a social media post. “The scans determined that I had a collapsed disc in L4/5, disc fragments and a compromised spinal canal. I opted to have my disc replaced and I already know I made a good decision for my health and my back.”
A sports injury analyst and physical therapist, Marty Jaramillo, suggests Mr. Woods might be able to play competitive golf by December. That’s the month when he normally plays in his own Hero World Challenge tournament and the PNC Championship, in which he teams with his son Charlie.
“By then, he would have eight months since his Achilles repair and six to eight weeks post disc replacement,” Mr. Jaramillo told Golf Digest. “He could be ready to go, and also be competitive.”
Mr. Jaramillo said he is more concerned about Mr. Woods’ fused ankle than his back. The legendary golfer had his ankle fused after suffering severe leg injuries in a 2021 car crash in which he faced the possibility of having his right leg amputated.
The ankle fusion, Mr. Jaramillo said, prevents Mr. Woods “from adjusting to uneven terrains on the golf course, and it’s really plagued him. You’ve seen it in years past. Over the course of a four-day tournament, the limping gets worse and worse. I really think it’s his ankle that’s going to be the speed bump that curtails his career.”
The Champions tour is less demanding physically. In addition to allowing the use of carts, it features 54-hole events and smaller fields.
“It doesn’t help him to finish 70th on the regular tour, not really getting proper reps,” Mr. Els said. “He can shoot 66 (on Champions Tour), get your confidence up, and make those birdie putts under the gun.”
The Champions circuit offers $70 million in prize money and has 28 events scheduled for this season. It has been viewed as a place for former PGA Tour stars to continue their professional careers and for others to have a first chance at glory.
The cut in pension reportedly is a result of the PGA Tour going from exclusively being a non-profit to a for-profit entity after partnering with equity giant Strategic Sports Group, which invested $1.5 billion.
“Anytime that you go for a profit and you have venture capitalists, things change,” said Tom Pernice, Jr., a six-time winner on the Champions Tour.
With 82 PGA Tour victories, Mr. Woods’ legacy is secured. He has largely been a ceremonial golfer of late. Since his car crash, Mr. Woods has played primarily in major championships and his own events. He has just 13 starts in the past five years without a top 25 finish.
Mr. Woods remains scheduled to compete in the second season of the TGL indoor league, which he co-founded with Rory McIlroy. The season is scheduled to begin in January.
