Tiger Woods is set for his first competitive appearance in seven months at the Hero World Challenge later this month. The 47-year-old has not played a tournament since his early withdrawal from The Masters in April but will tee off as tournament host at the unofficial PGA Tour event in Albany, The Bahamas, on November 30, organizers announced Saturday.
After undergoing ankle surgery in May and suffering severe leg injuries in a car crash two years ago, Woods has prioritized appearances at the four major championships in his sporadic competitive appearances. However, he missed the three subsequent flagship events following The Masters as he recovered from May’s surgery.
The Hero World Challenge, started in 2000 as a benefit to Woods’ TGR Foundation, will see the five-time event winner compete as part of a 20-player invitational field featuring many of the game’s top players. This includes world No. 1 Scottie Scheffler, Viktor Hovland, Max Homa, and Matt Fitzpatrick. American trio Jordan Spieth, Rickie Fowler, and Justin Thomas are also set to play. Justin Rose and Lucas Glover are making the field as tournament exemptions.
While Woods has been absent from competition for some time now, he has not been completely absent from golf. He has appeared at various points to support – and even caddie for – his son Charlie at various junior tournaments. In September, Woods was on bag duty for his son as he won his Junior National Golf Championship qualifier in Orlando. He then took up a supporting role as the 14-year-old helped his Benjamin School boys team clinch the Florida High School state championship earlier this month. In January, Woods is slated to play in The TGL (Televised Indoor Golf League), a televised indoor golf league staged in partnership with the PGA Tour and created by TMRW Sports, a company he co-founded alongside Rory McIlroy.
In summary, after more than six months away from competition due to injury and recovery time following an accident two years ago, Tiger Woods is ready to return to golf competition at Albany Golf Resort during Hero World Challenge later this month.