Tiger Woods has pledged to continue playing until wins are no longer possible as he returns to competitive golf on Thursday for the first time since the Masters in April.
The 15-time Major champion underwent surgery on his ankle after injury forced his withdrawal during Augusta, and many thought it marked the end of the 47-year-old’s illustrious career.
But the former world No1 will be in the field teeing off at the Hero World Challenge in the Bahamas this week.
Of his future, Woods said: “There will come a time when I can no longer win. When that time comes, I will walk away. But I love to compete, I love the camaraderie, being around the guys.”
Woods underwent bone fusion surgery in his ankle, a knock-on effect from his high-speed car crash back in 2021.
But he insisted he was now pain free and was ready to tee off again on the professional circuit in the event, which consists of a 20-strong invitational field including Scottie Scheffler, Viktor Hovland and Matt Fitzpatrick. He has also set his sights on play competitively once a month.
After caddying for his son at an event, he said: “I was hitting golf balls a lot trying to get Charlie ready for the event, Then, post-event, I thought, ‘I can probably do this’. I’ve played a lot of holes, I haven’t used a pencil and a scorecard.
“My game feels rusty. I haven’t played in a while. I’m excited to compete and play, I’m just as curious as all of you are to see what happens. I don’t have any of the pain I had in Augusta in my ankle. Other parts are taking the brunt of the load but that surgery was a success.”
