Tiger Woods isn’t playing in this year’s Genesis Invitational, with the 15-time Major winner still recovering from the back surgery he underwent in October.
Despite that, he is still very much a part of the Riviera Country Club tournament as its host, and he made his way to the CBS broadcast booth during the third round, where he discussed a range of issues with Jim Nantz and Trevor Immelman.
One of the big questions on everyone’s lips is just when we might see Woods in action again, with the 50-year-old’s last competitive appearance, a handful of TGL starts aside, coming at the 2024 Open.
As well as his latest surgery, Woods has also had to deal with recovery from surgery on his Achilles since the Royal Troon Major, as well as the death of his mother Kultida, which have all contributed to his long absence.
However, there are hints he may not be far away from a return. In his pre-tournament press conference, Woods was asked if an appearance at April’s Masters was off the table, and raised hopes by responding with a simple, “No.”
With that tantalising prospect still alive, it was little wonder that the subject came up during his conversation with Nantz and Immelman.
First, Woods confirmed he would be in the area to open a new layout he has designed at Augusta Municipal Golf Course, renamed The Patch, but also that he would be at Augusta National for the annual Champions Dinner.
He said: "I know I'll be there. We're going to open up The Patch and Trevor and I are going to be part of a great dinner.”
He remained noncommittal on his chances of teeing it up at Augusta National, but didn’t rule it out before hinting he could even play an event beforehand, saying: “I don't know that. I don't know. Whether it's regular tour, senior tour or member guest, I don't know."
It isn’t just Woods’ playing ambitions that are on his mind. He also chairs the PGA Tour’s Future Competition Committee, which was established last August to undertake a review of the current competitive model of the circuit and help shape its future.
Woods seemed optimistic a conclusion could be reached in time for the 2027 season, and said: “Yeah, we're trying to figure out the competitive model. What is the best model for all of the Tour?
"Whether it's our partners, the fans, the players, everyone who's actually involved in the PGA Tour? What is the best model we can go on a forward end?
"That's the job of the FCC, and we're trying to diligently, each and every day, trying to figure that out, and emails, group text, calls, late in the night, ideas, everything is free-flow. So we're trying to narrow that up, and we have another meeting on Tuesday with it."
PGA Tour CEO Brian Rolapp has suggested that the new PGA Tour will be focused on fewer, but more important, events to increase competitiveness, while Harris English has hinted that a post-Super Bowl start to the season could be in the offing.
Woods wouldn’t confirm the finer details, but said: “Nothing’s set in stone where, as I said, we're free flowing, trying to create the best model going forward, and all of our, some point, all of our media partners understand that
"We've had talks with every sponsor of every event. From the president, from the CEOs to the CFOs, CEOs.
"So we've had all those conversations and people are willing to move around the schedule and do what's best, and we want to have, as I said, the best environment, the best tour, and keep elevating our tour to be even better than what it is right now."
