Is the dominant era of Tiger Woods coming to an end? The 82X PGA Tour champion last appeared at the Open Championship in May, where he missed the cut. He has only played five events this year, and well, the outcome too has not been great. Well, after months of waiting, there has been certain news of his comeback at the Hero World Classic, which is to take place on December 5. Scheduled to kickstart in Albany in eleven days, there has so far been no confirmation yet.

The official fan page of Tiger Woods, TW Legion, took to their X account and reported that it remains unclear if the GOAT will play the Hero World Challenge. The field that has been announced was of 17 men, whereas it’s usually of 20 men. 3 spots for sponsor exemption remain unfilled, and it’s getting late for the announcement of the same. So, does it mean that only 17 golfers will compete in this TGR event? It remains to be seen.

The golf equipment brand TaylorMade, which has sponsored the 15x major winner since 2017, will be having its winter shoot in a few days in Florida. According to the reports, the 48-year-old will also be a part of it. Apart from the Hero World Championship, there is a lot aligned for the 15X Major in the same week.

SDR, his apparel company, teased in a social media post that it will be debuting a “high-performance classic golf shoe,” a first for the brand, on December 4, 2024. This is just a day before the championship kickstart. This solidified the rumors of Woods teeing up at Albany GC as it would be perfect marketing of the new shoes. Netizens know Woods will be playing in TGL in early January, so there are minor chances fans could still see him at HWC and PNC, but it all depends on his recovery.

Ideally, the fans should be happy that there might be a possibility of the legend’s comeback. However, as it turns out, the wishes are different this time.

The golf community wants Tiger Woods to retire

Tiger Woods began the 2024 season with the Genesis Invitational in February. After scoring 72 in the first round, he withdrew right ahead of the Friday round, citing the flu. After that, he appeared in all four of the majors, as he had stated he would be only part of the significant events. In the Masters, although he made the cut, he finished at the bottom of the leaderboard. And in the remaining three majors, he ended up missing the cut. Well, Woods is not in his best shape at the moment.

Taking to this, people left comments like, “I love TW, but he’s cooked. Needs to retire.” and “Very difficult to stay tuned after reading that…”

Adding to the misery of the current season, he had another surgery in September. It was the sixth surgery on his lower back in the past 10 years. In the golfer’s statement, the procedure was described as a microdecompression surgery of the lumbar spine for nerve impingement in the lower back. Taking to this, one of them wanting him to recover first commented, “He just had surgery he won’t play til he’s ready and he’s so not ready”.

While Woods has shown flashes of competitiveness since his car accident in 2021, his performances have been inconsistent, and his physical limitations continue to hinder his ability to compete at the highest level. So the fans do not want him to come back for an inconsistent tenure again. Taking to this, one of them wrote, “Unless he sees improvement by the end of May, I think he’ll call it a day. Can’t see him playing Champions Tour as he’s not competing against the best in the world anymore, regardless of age. I hope I’m wrong, but I think the next 6 months are make-or-break.”

After 2006, Tiger Woods faced a series of personal and professional challenges that significantly impacted his career. He underwent multiple surgeries, including knee and back surgeries, which limited his ability to compete consistently. Despite these setbacks, he made a historic comeback, winning the 2019 Masters, his first major in 11 years, cementing his legacy as one of golf’s greatest players. Taking to this, one of them simply commented, “Irrelevant since 2006.”

Tiger Woods has used the Hero World Challenge as a stage for his comeback. Might happen this year too. All we know is he could be doing his best to make a speedy recovery and hit back the greens again. Do you think he will be able to make it to the course in December? Let us know in the comments section below!