In the 2022-23 season, Tiger Woods played two official and two nonofficial events, the recent being the PNC Championship. Although Woods had repercussions from playing after the surgery, he still managed to finish T5 at the Ritz-Carlton golf club.
With the 82x PGA Tour winner making a comeback on the greens, a question remains about his future event appearances. So, when and where will Woods play in 2024?
Tiger Woods heads to his home in California for the next event
Tiger Woods made his comeback at the Hero World Challenge in November after his withdrawal from the 2023 Masters tournament. The 15x major champion was struggling with his ankle, hence the sudden blackout from the Masters. However, now, Woods has recovered and is ready to play officially once again.
But when will he play next? At his press conference before the Hero World Challenge, Woods revealed his 2024 plans. Moving forward to the next season, he expressed to play one tournament a month. When asked about his schedule, Woods said, “Would have to start with maybe at Genesis and something in March, near the Players.”
Moreover, he expressed his support for the schedule, saying, “We have set up right now the biggest events, are one per month so it sets itself up for that,” adding that he needs to gear up for them. As per his statements, Woods will most likely play The Genesis Invitational at Rivera GC, where he finished T4th in 2023, California in February, and then the PLAYER Championship.
Additionally, Woods would be expected to play in the 2024 Masters, as he has never missed one edition since his debut. Continuing the one event per month plan, the 15x major champion will then head to play the next three majors, except the U.S. Open, which he might not qualify for.
What are the chances of Woods qualifying for the U.S. Open?
Tiger Woods has won the U.S. Open thrice in his career, the last one in 2008. After his latest U.S. Open win, he received the 10 years of winner exemption for the Open. However, that exemption had expired in 2018. Following his win at the 2019 Masters, Woods was awarded another 5-year exemption for the U.S. Open.
The winning Masters exemption expired in 2023 when he missed the U.S. Open for the third time. Even though there is a risk of Woods missing the U.S. Open for the fourth time, he might be given two options. Firstly, if the Hall of Famer gets into the top 60 two weeks before the event.
Secondly, if Woods gets a special exemption from the U.S. Open. It will not be the first it has been done as Ben Hogan (1), Jack Nicklaus (8), Arnold Palmer (5) and even Phil Mickelson (1) have received them. Will Tiger Woods, the 3 times U.S. Open winner get a special exemption? You will have to wait till June 2024.
