The Genesis Invitational was the first official start for Tiger Woods on the PGA Tour after he last played the Masters in 2023. It was the anticipated return of the golfing great. However, Woods started having spasms in his back, which made him shank the opening and only round he played. Moreover, before the second round started, Woods withdrew from the event, citing influenza.
The return of the 48-year-old has been looking bleak, as no updates from his side have been made public. But now, a veteran pro has made a staggering claim regarding Woods’s next start on the PGA Tour. The 57-year-old gave a subtle hint that Woods might play in the PLAYERS Championship.
Tiger Woods may play in the PLAYERS Championship per Steve Stricker
The last time Steve Stricker and Woods were paired together was probably in one of the Ryder or President Cups. In the past decade or so, the two have not played together as much. Woods has been on and off the golf course, and Stricker started on the PGA Tour Champions. However, the 12-time PGA Tour winner expressed opined his desire to play with Woods again.
On the Golf Digest podcast, Stricker shared that he wanted to ask the 5x Masters Champion to play the Zurich Classic, but he did not. But hie did express his wish to play with him next in the PLAYERS event. He said, “You know, I’ll see him next week at the Players, hopefully, he’ll be there and I’ll be there, hopefully, play a practice round with him. Yeah, I’ll ask him.”
The statement somewhat confirms that Woods might compete at the TPC Sawgrass after a month of rest. Furthermore, while making his return at the 2023 Hero World Challenge, Woods shared his plans to play an event per month. He said he “would have to start maybe at Genesis [which he did] and something in March, near the Players.”
