Tiger Woods - 'Long way to go' before I'm PGA Tour-ready - ESPN

Tiger Woods said Tuesday that he's not close to being physically ready to play in PGA Tour tournaments and has a «long way to go» before he's able to compete against the world's best golfers again.

Woods, 48, is not playing in this week's Hero World Challenge, an unofficial event he hosts in the Bahamas.

«I'm not tournament-sharp yet,» Woods told reporters during a news conference in the Bahamas. «No, I'm still not there. And these are 20 of the best players in the world, and I'm not sharp enough to compete against them at this level. When I'm ready to compete and play at this level, then I will.»

When Woods was asked whether he still has a desire to compete on tour, he said, «The fire still burns to compete.»

«As far as the recovery process of going out there and doing it again and again and again and doing it consistently at a high level, for some reason, the body just won't recover like it used to,» Woods said. «That's part of age and part of an athlete's journey.»

The 15-time major champion announced in mid-September that he had undergone what is believed to be his sixth back surgery. He said his back injury caused pain down his leg, which became progressively worse during this past season.

Woods has undergone multiple procedures to repair damage in his right foot and leg caused by injuries he suffered in a car wreck in February 2021.

Woods didn't indicate when he hoped to return to the tour. Last year, the former world No. 1 golfer said he hoped to play once a month. He made five starts on tour in 2024, missing three cuts and withdrawing from the Genesis Invitational because of illness. He finished 60th at the Masters, which was last among golfers who made the cut.

«I didn't think my back was going to go like it did