Nothing outside of the big championships was ever guaranteed for Tiger Woods’ when it comes to his schedule. And now even that is certainly after the news that the Woods had recently undergone a microdiscectomy procedure to relieve nerve pain in his lower back.
Apparently Woods is already hitting balls after the procedure on December 23. Still, Woods is out for the Farmers Insurance Open and also the Genesis Invitational, two tournaments he would play.
At the age of 45, Woods was already in a dubious spot with back stiffness that was inevitable in the aftermath of his 2017 spinal fusion surgery. Now, the added wrinkle is on the mend of the microdiscectomy procedure, which normally doesn’t require an overnight stay, but clearly some recovery time.
We expected less for all of this, and now it appears to be even more so as 2021 goes on. With that in mind, here’s a look at Woods scheduling capabilities.
Bay Hill
The Arnold Palmer Invitational (March 4-7) would seemingly be the earliest place for a return, and that’s only six weeks away – which seems to be a long time. Woods has been very successful at Bay Hill, winning eight times, most recently in 2013. Since then, his best effort was a tie for fifth place in 2018, when he briefly competed on the final round. However, he has missed the tournament for the past two years. In 2019 he complained of neck stiffness; last year he skipped due to back problems. If you missed the last two, it’s easier to skip it again. And playing out of Bay Hill is not a bargain. This seems to go a long way.
Sawgrass
The Players Championship (March 11-14) has never been a particularly big tournament for Woods, even though he has won it twice. Still, Tiger doesn’t skip the PGA Tour’s signature event unless he’s physically incapable. Considering the back procedure was on December 23, there is a ray of hope.
PGA National
The Honda Classic (March 18-21) is just miles from Woods’ home, and he’s played the event several times over the years. This would have been a no-go if everything had stayed normal, but now it’s a clear possibility. It’s been eight weeks and three weeks prior to the Masters. Having a home game might just be what works best. PGA National is a tough place to get back to work, but Woods may not have a choice. Next week’s match play event is not a guarantee.
Austin Country Club
The WGC-Dell Technologies Match Play Championship (March 25-28) is two weeks ahead of the Masters, and Woods likes that timing. He’s guaranteed to have three rounds in the round-robin pool format, and anything beyond that is a bonus. Two years ago, Woods finished in tie for fifth place at Austin Country Club and lost in the quarter-finals. Two weeks later he won the Masters. Here’s the problem: he might not qualify. Woods is ranked 44th in the world and is down. Can he stay in the top 64 at that point? Does he even want to risk the opportunity to play multiple games if he makes it to the weekend? If you don’t qualify, the Honda from the week before makes more sense. Crazy thought: Woods does not qualify and appears at the opposite event in the Dominican Republic.
Augusta National
The week of April 3 is now circled. If Woods can’t return sooner, can he return to the Masters? It’s not an ideal place to come back, but he’s done it before: in 2010 and 2015, the last year he had taken nine weeks off to work on his game. Woods hates missing the Masters. The fact that he had a problem and seemed intent on fixing it as soon as possible suggests that he will do everything he can to be in Augusta.
Innisbrook
The move of the Valspar Championship from March to three weeks after the Masters (April 29-May 2) could help the Florida tournament land Woods. It had been three years since, just his fourth start back after spinal fusion surgery, he took second place, a shot behind winner Paul Casey on Innisbrook’s Copperhead track. The course is not far from home and is really well suited to Woods. It’s also three weeks prior to the PGA Championship. The only question: would he rather play the following week? If you can’t play the Masters, this event would be a great place to return as it is more than three months away.
Quail Hollow
The Wells Fargo Championship (May 6-10) appears to be an either / or proposition for Woods, who last won the tournament in 2007 and then finished fourth in 2009. Since then, he has played the event just four times, with two missed cuts and a tie for 55th place in 2018. Quail Hollow Golf Club has undergone several changes that may not suit Woods. It can keep him away. But again, if he wants to play two weeks prior to the PGA Championship, this would be the choice, meaning he will skip Valspar.
Kiawah Island
For the PGA Championship (May 13-17), it’s pretty unlikely we’ll see Woods do what he did in 2019 – which won’t be played prior to the tournament that follows the Masters. Last year, his only start prior to the PGA was the Memorial, his first post-pandemic tournament. In 2012, Woods shared the 36-hole lead on Kiawah Island (South Carolina) with Vijay Singh and Carl Pettersson, but shot 74-72 over the weekend and fell far from the pace. Rory McIlroy won the tournament with 8 shots; Woods finished right for 11th, 11 strokes back.
Muirfield Village
Two weeks after the PGA, two weeks before the US Open. Jack Nicklaus’ Memorial Tournament (June 3-6) in Dublin, Ohio, is in the perfect place. Barring something unforeseen, it’s hard to see Tiger skipping a tournament he’s won five times.
Torrey Pines
The US Open returns to Torrey Pines in San Diego for the first time since Woods’ epic playoff win over Rocco Mediate in 2008. That was his 14th major title, and an avalanche of things has happened over the past 13 years. But Torrey should like Woods more.
Royal St. George’s
It’s hard to see Woods play between the Opens. He is not likely to play the Travelers the week after the US Open, nor the John Deere the week before The Open. That leaves only the Rocket Mortgage Championship in Detroit, a place where he has never played. He has not attended The Open at Royal St. George’s in Sandwich, England in 18 years. He missed the 2011 tournament due to an injury. He finished in tie for fourth place when Ben Curtis shocked the world in 2003. He came in just two behind Thomas Bjorn on his way to the final round and missed a playoff by two strokes. (Woods, infamously, had lost a ball on the very first hole of the tournament, his drive in the rough was not found in the allotted time; he made a triple-bogey 7.)
TPC Southwind
Remember Woods was a prime contender to play in the Olympics? A year ago, he was currently ranked sixth in the world, in an excellent position to be one of the top four Americans. Now he’s barely in the top 50 – where he will have to be if he even wants to be considered for the WGC-FedEx St. Jude Invitational in Memphis. The WGC falls perfectly for him (it’s a week after the Olympic men’s golf tournament), three weeks after The Open and two weeks before the FedEx Cup playoffs. The big questions: does he qualify? And where will he be on the FedEx leaderboard?
The FedEx Cup Playoffs
Woods was unable to qualify for the Tour Championship in 2019 despite winning the Masters, and last year despite winning the Zozo Championship. Over the past three years, he has shown a tendency to play them all if he qualifies.
This year (August 19-22) the Northern Trust will return to Liberty National, where it retired after one round in 2019; the BMW Championship (August 26-29) moves to a new location at Caves Valley Golf Club in Maryland; and the Tour Championship (Sept 2-5) is back at East Lake in Atlanta, where Woods won in 2018 – and has yet to return.
The verdict
It’s the same story: Woods’ fitness, ability to practice and compete will determine how much he plays in 2021. After missing two tournaments he was expected to play, and possibly more, it seems that the most Woods were able to play prior to the FedEx Cup. playoffs are 10 tournaments. It’s hard to see him play more than that. And it can even be one or two less. As always, the focus will be on the big championships. From there, his feelings and his motivation to continue in the FedEx Cup playoffs will likely determine how much we see him.