Tiger Woods won't rule out return at this year's Masters - ESPN

LOS ANGELES — Tiger Woods is not ruling out a return to professional golf as early as this year's Masters Tournament in April, the 15-time major champion said Tuesday.

Woods, 50, underwent lumbar disc replacement surgery in October and also ruptured his Achilles last March. He has not played in an event since the Open Championship at Royal Troon in 2024.

«It has been challenging,» said Woods, who is the tournament host at this week's Genesis Invitational. «My body has been through a lot. Each and every day I keep trying, I keep progressing, trying to get it to a level that I can play at the highest level.»

While Woods said his Achilles is no longer a problem and that he is now able to hit full golf shots, the aftermath of the disc replacement surgery has been more of the issue.

«It's just sore. It takes time,» he said. "[Will Zalatoris] went through it, and it took him a while to come back. I'm a little bit older than [him]. It's probably going to take me a little bit longer."

There is no official timetable for Woods' return. In recent years, though his game has shown familiar flashes of greatness, the toll of the surgeries on Woods' back have made it difficult for him to walk 72 holes over the course of a tournament.

Woods has previously shot down the idea of playing while riding in a cart, but he said Tuesday it's something he would consider on the Champions Tour. At 50, Woods is eligible to play on that tour.

«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,» he said. «That's something that, as I said, I won't do out here on this tour because I don't believe in it. But on the Champions Tour, that's certainly an opportunity.»

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