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Tiger Woods will play alongside his son Charlie, 15, in this week’s PNC Championship, but the 15-time major winner said Friday that his return to the PGA Tour remains a long way off.
The 36-hole parent-child tournament at the Ritz-Carlton Golf Club in Orlando will be the first quasi-competitive event for Woods since he underwent back surgery in September.
Back problems and leg injuries caused by a car accident in 2021 have limited Woods’ ability to compete in the regular tournaments he once dominated.
“My leg is what it is. It’s still there,” said Woods, who turns 49 on Dec. 30. “But this year I struggled a lot with my back and it’s much better, but I still have a long way to go.”
Woods finished 60th at the Masters and missed the cut in the year’s three other majors, struggling to find his form between rounds. In his only other start this year, Woods withdrew after one round at the Genesis Invitational, the February event he hosts at Riviera.
“The recovery became the hardest part,” Woods said. “But as the tours go by, the weeks, the months, it becomes more and more difficult.”
Even preparing your surgically repaired body for competition is difficult.
“Preparing for a competitive game is different. It takes months, weeks,” Woods said. “But it starts every day. You just have to do the little things right and they add up.
“It’s frustrating. It’s hard. I have an incredible team, incredible support. But I have to do the little things every day and away from everyone. It’s hard.”
Woods has been impressed by top-ranked Scottie Scheffler, who has won nine times this year, including a second Masters and a gold medal at the Paris Olympics. This is a domination not seen since Woods at his peak.
“How he’s handled the pressure and the expectations on him and his family, I think he’s doing an incredible job,” Woods said. “He’s just starting to blossom. That’s the fun part, watching him develop. It’s going to be the start of an incredible year.”
Woods said one of the commonalities in their success styles is avoiding mistakes.
“He doesn’t make a lot of mistakes,” Woods said. “During big events, a lot of playing at an elite level and not making mistakes adds up.”
– Charlie beats Tiger for nine –
Woods, who shares the PGA Tour record of 82 victories with Sam Snead, has a new rival to challenge him in Charlie Woods, who recently beat his father over nine holes.
“He beat me through nine holes. He hasn’t beaten me through 18 holes yet,” Woods said. “That day is coming. I’m just extending it as long as possible.
“We’re having so much fun out there. It’s going to be a fun atmosphere tomorrow and we’re going to have fun.”
This week marks the fifth time the Woods duo have competed in this event, with a second-place finish in 2001 their best performance. They were fifth last year.
Woods hopes playing this week will be a step back into competition.
“I’m not competitive right now, but I just want to be able to relive that experience,” Woods said. “It’s always been one of the biggest highlights of the year for us as a family.
“We want to win, but it’s about bonding. It’s about having family. It’s about having father-son time together.”
Its next competition is scheduled for the January launch of TGL, the six-team tech golf league developed by Woods and Rory McIlroy. It features a purpose-built arena with video screens and rotating greens.
“It’s absolutely incredible. The spinning green blew me away,” Woods said. “I think it’s going to be a lot of fun not only for us, but also for the fan experience.”
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