When your calendar switches over into 2026, Tiger Woods will have just turned 50, a significant milestone for anyone, but especially notable for a professional golfer as it opens inviting doors to the senior tour.
However, rather than ushering in fresh opportunity, there is only uncertainty surrounding the 15-time major champion’s future as he prepares to reach the half century.
We haven’t seen Woods compete in a proper tournament since The 152nd Open at Royal Troon in 2024, with his appearances earlier this year in TGL, the indoor golf league he helped to create, being the last time he swung a club in public.
What has happened to Tiger Woods?
Since then, Woods has faced considerable challenges away from the golf course, including the unexpected death of his mother, Kultida, surgery in March on a ruptured Achilles tendon, and lumbar disc replacement surgery in October.
The likes of Scottie Scheffler and Rory McIlroy have taken precedence and achieved remarkable things, but Woods nonetheless compels the wider public due to the extraordinary stature that he once enjoyed. He inspired a generation – and attracted both evangelical levels of support and vocal detractors.
Woods has varied interests beyond playing golf, but that was his primary function for decades, it’s who he was, and likely wishes he could still be, but whether his physical limitations will ever permit that presence again remains to be seen.
Having accumulated a litany of injuries and surgeries that can rival his victory count, we are left with the question of what could have been for Woods, had his ailing body not taken years from his career.
Since his life-threatening car accident in 2021, the toll of the damage on Woods had been obvious, as we watched him hobble around Augusta National to courageously make the cut in 2022, 2023 (before withdrawing) and 2024. That was a reflection of his resilience and powers of determination – but that can only take him so far.
He may still be able to hit the shots, that mind remains intact, but can he even walk for 18 holes over four consecutive days in a tournament?
Could Tiger Woods enter these surprise tournaments in 2026?
Notah Begay III, who has been a close friend of Woods for decades, recently explained that there are two unlikely events where the five-time Masters winner could make his latest comeback, simply because the venues are easier to walk.
“I think there’s a couple venues that could accommodate his current physical condition,” Begay said to Trey Wingo on the Straight Facts Homie! podcast.
“I think the biggest problem, in the conversations that I’ve had with him, is the walking. That’s it.
“He hits it great, he’s in tremendous physical condition. His ball speeds are fast enough, they’re 175-180 which is adequate for the PGA Tour. It’s just can he walk 72 holes plus a pro-am? I don’t know, and that’s kind of the big question.
“So I think that a major championship venue with flatter terrain. Hilton Head (The RBC Heritage) with flatter terrain, Colonial (Charles Schwab Challenge) with flatter terrain might be targets.”
During the peak of his career, Woods was consistent with the tournaments he entered, and we associate him with regular triumphs at the likes of Bay Hill and Torrey Pines, so would it really be possible to see him go somewhere new in 2026?
Begay commented in quotes recorded by the Daily Mail: “And those are venues that he’s never typically played at. He’s played Colonial once and never went back. And I don’t think he’s ever been to Hilton Head. So I think those are two things that you may see at some point.”
You might ask – why? After everything, what is there for Woods to prove? Begay stated that surpassing the credited 83 PGA Tour titles of Sam Snead (Woods shares the record) is a tangible ambition.
Whether any of this is realistic is debatable. The game may have moved on, but the celebrity of Woods is unsurpassed, and should he make a return to the sport next year, either at a favourite stop or one of these surprise locations, it would be headline news.
Given that Begay is one of Woods’ few confidants, it’s something that can’t be entirely ruled out.
Kieran Clark is the Digital Editor of Golfshake. He oversees editorial content, community engagement, forums, and social media channels. A lifelong golfer from the Isle of Bute in Scotland who has now lived in St Andrews for a decade, he began playing at the age of five and maintains a passion for exploring courses, with a particular affection for historic layouts. Kieran regularly contributes in-depth opinion pieces and features, drawing on his enthusiasm for the game and its culture.
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