The Japan Times - Woods return timeline uncertain, but won't rule out Masters

Woods, who turned 50 on December 30, underwent disc replacement surgery in October, the latest in a series of operations and injuries that have kept him sidelined since the 2024 British Open.

"It's just one of those things where it's each and every day, I keep trying, I keep progressing," Woods said Tuesday at The Riviera Country Club, where he hosts this week's PGA Tour Genesis Invitational.

"I keep working on it, trying to get stronger, trying to get more endurance in this body and trying to get it at a level at which I can play at the highest level again," Woods said, adding that he has progressed from chipping and putting practice to hitting full shots.

"I'm able to," he said. "Not well every day, but I can hit them."

Despite the uncertainty, Woods said when asked that the Masters, April 9-12 at Augusta National, was not "off the table."

Woods has won five Masters titles, the most recent an epic 2019 victory that ended his 11-year major championship drought.

He suffered severe leg injuries in a 2021 car crash but returned at the 2022 Masters and finished 47th.

The veteran superstar had a back operation in September 2024 and was rehabilitating from that setback when he announced in March of 2025 that he had suffered a ruptured Achilles tendon.

Woods said the Achilles injury was no longer an issue, but the disc replacement -- on top of multiple back surgeries over the years -- was proving challenging to come back from.

- A new decade -

"I've had a fused back and now a disc replacement, so it's challenging," he said. "And now I entered a new decade, so that number is starting to sink in and has us thinking about the opportunity to be able to play in a cart.

"That's something that, as I said, I won't do out here on this (PGA) tour because I don't believe in it. But on the Champions Tour, that's certainly that opportunity."

Even as he strives to ready himself for a return to competition, Woods said he has been devoting a tremendous amount of time as chair of the PGA Tour's Future Competition Committee created to help shape a new-look tour.

"I thought I spent a lot of hours practicing in my prime," Woods said. "It doesn't even compare to what we've done in the boardroom."

Woods said he hopes to see the PGA Tour implement a revamped schedule in 2027, although he acknowledged it could take two years to roll out all of the changes.

He envisions a more streamlined schedule, with "more top players playing" -- all in a system that still offers opportunities to young talent and keeps sponsors engaged.

The time-consuming work means Woods has yet to make up his mind about whether he'd be willing to captain the 2027 US Ryder Cup team, although he said the PGA of America had been in touch.

"They have asked me for my input on it, and I haven't made my decision yet," he said.

"I'm trying to figure out what we're trying to do with our tour. That's been driving me hours upon hours every day and trying to figure out if I can actually do our team, our Team USA and our players and everyone that's going to be involved in the Ryder Cup, if I can do it justice with my time."

K.Nakajima--JT