“I believe I can still win,” said Tiger Woods on frequent suggestions of retirement that came from all over the golf world. But can he, though? It seems impossible given the kind of run the 48-year-old has had at the Royal Troon. But he is not the one to back out! Carrying the same spirit, the 15x major winner now revealed his future plans of playing on the professional greens.

After carding an 8-over 79 in the first round and a 6-over 77 in the second round, Woods is destined to miss yet another cut in the majors after the PGA Championship and the US Open. But Woods has not said goodbye to his resilience. His recent promise is proof of the same. The 82-time PGA Tour champion revealed that the golf world will see him play next in the Hero World Challenge, an exclusive event he proudly hosts in December. 

Woods’s failure to add a sixteenth stripe to the Sun Day Red logo this season seems to have not quashed his plans for a resounding comeback. However, it seems such a comeback will not be anytime soon. His loyal fan base will have to wait until the end of the year to see this star. The remaining months of the year will be used by the pro to sharpen himself physically for the next season.

Talking about his experience, albeit heartbreaking, an optimistic Woods said, “No, I loved it. I’ve always loved playing major championships. I just wish I was more physically sharp coming into the majors. Obviously it tests you mentally, physically, emotionally, and I just wasn’t as sharp as I needed to be. I was hoping that I would find it somehow, just never did. Consequently, my results and scores were pretty high.”

While not at the peak of his game, it seems a recovering Tiger Woods is very optimistic. But he also remains in touch with reality after the season he has had. The same energy was reflected in his answer to a follow-up question. He was asked whether he would play at the Open in Portrush next year. To this, he replied, “Yeah, definitely. Okay, sorry. That’s a year away.” While optimistic for his future, what was the pro’s experience at The Open this year like?

How was Tiger Woods’s Royal Troon experience after 20 years?

Even though the end of the game for Woods in Scotland this year was not per his expectations, the experience was surely worth remembering. After all, Scotland has been a big part of the Hall of Famer’s professional life. The ‘bonnie’ country has been home to two of the three-time Open Champs winners.

Describing his experience in Scotland, Woods said, “Yeah, I’ve won two Open Championships here in Scotland, so I’ve always enjoyed playing up here and enjoyed the different types of links that Scotland brings and the challenges are.”

He went on to add on his return to Troon and end things on a positive note. He said, “I’ve missed playing Troon. It’s been a long time. I remember playing here way back in ’97. I’ve had some good memories here. I just wish I’d done a little bit better and looking forward to  it.” It seems the 15-time major champ is not done yet. Despite not fulfilling his dream of a 16th major win this season, his plans to emerge stronger seem to be on point. Maybe destiny will side with this star in December, unlike his last five starts.