After a long gap of five months, Tiger Woods was expected to make a comeback this season at the 2024 Hero World Challenge. He was last spotted playing at the Open Championship in July, where he ended up missing the cut. However, he had been struggling through back spasms throughout the year. As a result of which, he underwent his sixth back surgery in the last ten years in September. Just a few hours before the elite event was set to begin, the 82X PGA Tour champion said he would not be a part of the field. This is the first time he will not be a part of this event since its inception. Even in 2021, despite having a life-threatening car accident, he still played at Albany.

“I’m not tournament sharp yet,” Woods said Tuesday at his pre-tournament news conference. “I’m still not there. These are 20 of the best players in the world, and I’m not sharp enough to compete against them at this level. So when I’m ready to compete and play at this level, then I will.” Nonetheless, being the host of the event, he was present there, and this time he had a rather special role. Tiger Woods joined the NBC booth on Sunday at the Hero World Challenge. He took a seat between host Dan Hicks and analyst Smylie Kauffman just as Scheffler was preparing for his approach shot on the par-4 13th. They were discussing a myriad of things, among which the comeback of the 48 YO was also a part of the discussion.

According to the official X account of TW Legion, the members at the booth were discussing the upcoming PNC Championship. They reported, “They’re heavily promoting the PNC in the late stages of the Hero broadcast, with Dan Hicks now saying “if I had to gamble, we’ll see Tiger in a couple of weeks.” A few moments later, they even stated, “JUST IN: Tiger asked about the PNC. ‘We’ll see’ with lots of laughter.” Now this gives high hopes for Tiger Woods’s comeback in Orlando because the discussion at the booth with him present concluded with Dan Hicks saying, “We hope to see you in Orlando in a couple of weeks.”

However, there has been no confirmation regarding the participation of Tiger Woods and Charlie Woods. But the question is, despite all the struggles, why is it so important for the 15X Major Champion to be a part of the family tradition? “Having both my kids out there the last two days has been so special,” Tiger Woods exclaimed in 2023, reflecting on the memorable family week he shared with his children, Charlie Woods and Sam Woods, at the PNC Championship. And this year too, he hopes to not disappoint his son.

Tiger Woods to make a comeback at TGL

The virtual contest, originally set to launch in January 2024, was delayed after a power outage caused the collapse of the air-supported dome roof at Florida’s SoFi Center. Tiger

Woods is now scheduled to compete with his Jupiter Links Golf Club team on January 14. Woods, who captains the team, will be joined by Max Homa, Tom Kim, and Kevin Kisner. Woods’ involvement in many of the team’s matches makes sense, given his availability, proximity, and financial stake in the league’s success.

Unlike traditional tournaments that require walking 72 holes over four days, this event focuses on technology and golf simulation, offering a different set of demands for the players. While this is a given, he might as well appear next week in Orlando too. Although the initial list of confirmed members for the PNC Championship does not have the name of Team Woods, last month, TW Legion reported, “Golf Digest reports that Tiger is ‘expected’ to play the PNC with his son Charlie. The same article says he has committed but has yet to see official confirmation of that. Woods announced earlier this evening that he’s disappointed to not be able to play at Hero. Do you think he will be back this year?