Nothing outside the big leagues has ever been guaranteed for Tiger Woods when it comes to his schedule. And now even that is certain from the news that Woods recently had a microdiscectomy procedure to alleviate the nerve pain in his back.
It seems that Woods is already hitting balls after he did it on December 23rd. However, Woods went to the Farmers Insurance Open and the Genesis Invitational, two tournaments he was expected to play.
At 45, Woods was already in a dubious spot, dealing with back stiffness, which was inevitable following his spinal fusion operation in 2017. Now the added wrinkle is recovering after the microdiscectomy procedure, which usually does not require a night, but clearly requires a recovery time.
We expected fewer things before all this, and now this seems to be even more important as 2021 passes. With that in mind, here’s a look at Woods’ programming possibilities.
Bay Hill
Arnold Palmer’s invitation (March 4-7) seems to be the earliest place for a return and is just six weeks away – which seems like a stretch. Woods was very successful at Bay Hill, winning eight times, most recently in 2013. Since then, his best effort has been a draw for fifth in 2018, when he briefly held on in the final round. However, he missed the tournament in the last two years. In 2019, he complained of stiff neck; last year he jumped because of back problems. If you missed the last two, it’s easier to skip it again. And playing outside of Bay Hill is no business. This seems like a long shot.
Sawgrass
The players’ championship (March 11-14) has never been a great tournament for Woods, even if he has won it twice. However, Tiger does not pass the event signed by the PGA Tour unless he is physically incapable. Given that the procedure behind it was on December 23, there is a glimmer of hope.
National PGA
The Honda Classic (March 18-21) is a few miles from Woods’ house and has played the event several times over the years. This would have been a stop if everything had remained normal, but now it is a distinct possibility. It’s eight weeks away and three weeks before the Masters. Having a game at home could be exactly what works best. PGA National is a difficult place to work again, but Woods may have no choice. The match event in next week’s match is not a guarantee.
Austin Country Club
The WGC-Dell Technologies Match Play Championship (March 25-28) is two weeks before the Masters, and Woods likes that moment. It has three guaranteed rounds in the round-robin pool format and anything other than this is a bonus. Two years ago, Woods tied for fifth at the Austin Country Club, losing in the quarterfinals. He won the Master two weeks later. Here’s the problem: he may not qualify. Woods is ranked 44th in the world and is declining. Can he stay in the top 64 at the moment? Does he even want to risk the possibility of playing more matches if he arrives on the weekend? If not eligible, the previous week’s Honda 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 surrounded. If Woods can’t return, 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 taking nine weeks off to work on his game. Woods hates to miss the masters. The fact that he had a problem and seemed intent on solving it as soon as possible suggests that he would do everything he could to be in Augusta.
Innisbrook
Moving the Valspar Championship from March to three weeks after the Masters (April 29-May 2) can help the Florida tournament land Woods. Three years ago, just the fourth start back after spinal fusion surgery, he equalized in second place, a shot behind winner Paul Casey at Innisbrook’s Copperhead course. The course is not far from home and is very suitable for Woods. It’s also three weeks before the PGA Championship. The only question: Would he prefer to play next week? If you can’t play Masters, this event would be a great place to come back, as it’s more than three months away.
Hollow quail
The Wells Fargo Championship (May 6-10) looks like a proposal for / or Woods, who won the tournament in 2007 and then finished fourth in 2009. Since then, he has played the event only 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 match Woods. It might keep him away. Again, if he wants to play two weeks before the PGA Championship, this would be his choice, which means he misses Valspar.
Kiawah Island
For the PGA Championship (May 13-17), it is quite unlikely to see Woods doing what he did in 2019 – which is not played before the post-Masters tournament. Last year, its only start before the PGA was the Memorial, its first post-pandemic tour. In 2012, Woods shared the lead of 36 holes on the island of Kiawah (South Carolina) with Vijay Singh and Carl Pettersson, to shoot 74-72 at the weekend and fall out of rhythm. Rory McIlroy won the tournament with 8 shots; Woods finished level with 11, 11 hits back.
The village of Muirfield
Two weeks after the PGA, two weeks before the US Open. The Jack Nicklaus Memorial Tournament (June 3-6) in Dublin, Ohio, is in the perfect spot. Except for something unforeseen, it’s hard to see Tiger jumping out of a five-time winning tournament.
Torrey Pines
The US Open returns to the San Diego Torrey Pines for the first time since Woods’ epic playoff win over Rocco Mediate in 2008. It was his 14th major title and there was an avalanche of things in the last 13 years. But Torrey should be more to Woods’ liking.
Royal St. George’s
It’s hard to see Woods playing between the openings. It is unlikely that Travelers will play in the week after the US Open, nor John Deere in the week before The Open. That leaves only the Detroit Rocket Mortgage Championship, a place he never played. He has not competed at the Royal St. George’s in Sandwich, England. He missed the 2011 tournament due to injury. He equalized in fourth place when Ben Curtis shocked the world in 2003. He came just 2 behind back from Thomas Bjorn, heading into the final round and missed a 2-shot playoff. (Woods, infamously, had a lost ball right in the first hole of the tournament, his raw lead was not found in the allotted time; he made a triple-bogey 7.)
TPC Southwind
Remember when Woods was a major competitor to play at the Olympics? A year ago, at this time, he was ranked sixth in the world, in a prime position to be one of the top four Americans. Now he is barely in the top 50 – where he will have to be if he qualifies even for WGC-FedEx St. Memphis Invitational Jude. WGC fits in perfectly for him (it’s a week after the men’s golf Olympics), three weeks after the Open and two weeks before the FedEx Cup playoffs. Big questions: Will he be eligible? And where will he be in the FedEx rankings?
FedEx Cup playoffs
Woods could not qualify for the Tour Championship in 2019, despite winning the Masters, nor did he manage to do so last year, despite a victory at the Zozo Championship. For the past three years, he has shown a penchant for playing them all, if eligible.
This year, the Northern Trust (August 19-22) returns to Liberty National, where it retired after a round in 2019; The BMW Championship (August 26-29) goes to a new location at Caves Valley Golf Club in Maryland; and the Tour Championship (September 2-5) returned to East Lake in Atlanta, where Woods won in 2018 – and has yet to return.
verdict
It’s the same story: Woods ’ability, ability to practice and compete, will determine how much he plays in 2021. After missing two tournaments, he was expected to play and probably more, it looks like Woods would The most you can play before the FedEx Cup playoffs is 10 tournaments. It’s hard to see him playing more than that. And it could be even one or two less. As always, the focus will be on the major championships. From there, how he feels and his motivation to advance in the FedEx Cup playoffs will probably determine how much we see him.