Tiger Woods ended up withdrawing from last year's MastersGETTY
“Tiger Woods has been absent from competitive PGA Tour events since the April Masters Tournament earlier this year. The five-time champion had to withdraw from the tournament due to injury.”
Tiger Woods seems intent on making a return to professional golf, despite calls for the 82-time PGA Tour winner to retire from competing following his withdrawal at this year’s Masters Tournament.
In April Woods was forced to pull out of the opening major championship of the year thanks to yet another injury setback. This time around the American suffered an injury to his right ankle, and since then has been unable to play competitively due to a lengthy recovery period.
The sight of Woods’ struggles at Augusta was a tough one to see for golf fans, as visibly in pain, he hobbled around the iconic course in treacherous conditions before finally deciding to call it quits in the third round.
On the back of his heartbreaking withdrawal, renowned TV presenter Stephen A. Smith called on Woods to call time on his career amid his constant battle with injury. “I watched him limping on the course before he bowed out on Sunday, and I was thankful he bowed out,” Smith said on First Take back in April.
“It is just sad to see. I think it is time for him to call it quits. I know Phil Mickelson is aged 52, but the bottom line is Phil Mickelson’s body hasn’t been through what Tiger Woods’ body has been through.” Seven months on though it appears the golfing great has no plans to hang up his clubs just yet.
In recent weeks Woods has been pictured on a number of occasions out on the golf course, mostly with his son Charlie, who he caddied for in a 54-hole junior competition last weekend. With interest growing, Woods has confirmed he will return to golf himself in January through his soon-to-be-launched innovative league TGL.
Earlier this week, Woods committed to Jupiter Links GC for the stadium-based series, and revealed he will be out competing when TGL gets underway in January. “Through its use of technology, TGL is a modern twist of traditional golf and ultimately will make the sport I love more accessible,” the 47-year-old said.
“Having the opportunity to not only compete, but also own a team to represent Jupiter is an exciting next chapter for me. I expect Jupiter Links GC to showcase the golf culture of my hometown as we compete against the best players in the world.” His return to the real-life course could come even sooner, with the Hero World Challenge kicking off on November 30.
Tiger Woods is the host of the 20-man event in the Bahamas, and after the entry list was announced by the PGA Tour, speculation of the American competing in the event sky-rocketed. Only 19 players were named, with the 20th and final spot left vacant as ‘TBA tournament exemption’. It is widely expected that if fit enough, Woods will take the remaining exemption spot.
