You might have to wait until the Masters to witness Tiger Woods on the greens. The 15-time champion has skipped one more event from his calendar, effectively ending any chances of watching him on the greens in March. With that, Woods seems to be rethinking his previous commitment to play one tournament a month.
Speaking from the Bahamas last November, the 48-year-old weighed in on his chances of playing in 2024. “The best scenario would be a tournament every month. I think that’s realistic,” said the 82-time PGA Tour winner. That, however, clearly is not the case; Woods passes another opportunity to step on the greens.
Tiger Woods skips the Valspar Championship
The PGA Tour announced the field for the Valspar Championship next week and Woods didn’t sign up before the deadline for entry closed at 5 p.m. ET. The last event of the Florida swing was also the last realistic chance for Woods to gear up for the Masters next month.
Woods had played at the Valspar championship only once in his professional career. In 2018, the 48-year-old tied for the second spot. The next two events after the Valspar are the Houston Open and the Valero Texas Open. Woods has only played at the latter once, way back in 1996. The 82-time PGA Tour winner, then only in his sixth PGA Tour outing after turning pro, tied for the third spot.
It appears that the veteran golfer is taking his time to blow the cobwebs out. His last outing came at the Genesis Invitational, the signature event he hosts at Riviera. But Tiger Woods had to bow out early in the second round due to flu-like symptoms, which later turned out to be influenza. Notably, the Hall of Famer was also absent from his son Charlie Woods’s first shot at the PGA Tour last month as well.
USA Today via Reuters
However, the 82-time PGA Tour winner seemed to have recovered from that as he teed off at the Seminole Pro-Member, pairing up with PGA of America chief Seth Waugh. Woods finished T44 at the elite invite-only event. But that was also a fun one-day outing with the elites of professional golf. That also brings up the question of whether the 48-year-old is grappling with a back problem, as he hinted at the Genesis Invitational.
What are the possible reasons for the extended break?
Tiger Woods still has some rust to dust off before driving down Magnolia Lane. At his first official PGA Tour event after the ankle surgery, Woods admitted his back was not at 100% after a long hiatus. During the first round at Riviera, the veteran golfer shanked his second shot in the 18th. Reviewing his round, the 15-time Major winner said, “My back spasmed on it. It had been spasming over the last three holes, and it just locked up on me and didn’t move, didn’t rotate.”
Following his withdrawal in the second round, it was widely expected that the veteran golfer might tee up at the Arnold Palmer Invitational. When that didn’t happen, THE PLAYERS was touted as his next stop. Woods is one of the only six multiple winners of the PLAYERS Championship. Nevertheless, the former World No. 1 skipped TPC Sawgrass from his possible pitstops as well.
However, Tiger Woods might still be at Ponte Vedra, as reports suggest that the player-directors of the PGA Tour policy board might meet PIF officials at the Tour headquarters as soon as Monday. Regardless of his competitive outing, Tiger Woods fans have to wait at least a couple more weeks.
