PGA Tour
Tiger Woods announces he will not play in the Hero World Challenge that he hosts next month
David Cannon
Tiger Woods announced via X on Monday that he would be unable to play in the annual post-season tournament he hosts, the Hero World Challenge in the Bahamas in two weeks. In his social media post, Woods did not specify why he would not be playing.
“I am disappointed that I will not be able to compete this year at the Hero World Challenge,” he posted, while noting that he looks “forward to being tournament host” and spending the week with the tournament benefactor, Hero Moto Corporation. He also announced that he had extended exemptions to Justin Thomas, Jason Day and Nick Dunlap.
Woods, who will turn 49 next month, announced in September that he underwent a microdecompression surgery of the lumbar spine to repair nerve impingement. It was unclear when he might be able to play in the wake of the procedure; presumably he's still recovering given the surgery happened merely 10 weeks ago.
Woods has played sparingly since he was in a one-car accident in February 2021, and nearly lost his right leg as a result. It effectively ended his ability to compete on any kind of consistent basis.
Still unknown is whether Woods might be ready to compete with son Charlie at the PNC Championship, Dec. 21-22 in Orlando. The event is a two-day scramble where Woods can use a golf cart, as he has done before. Even as he's battled his injuries in recent years, he has played the PNC with Charlie since 2020.
In 2024, Woods played only five events and missed the cut in four of them. His lowest score in the 12 rounds he played was 72, which he shot three times. He made the cut in the Masters and finished 60th, withdrew from the Genesis Invitational, and missed the cut at the PGA Championship, U.S. Open and British Open.