After recently turning 50, Tiger Woods now faces a new career decision.
To PGA Tour Champions or not?
The answer to that question is still unclear, although many former PGA Tour greats have encouraged him to do it on the senior circuit.
Ernie Els said playing it “can only be beneficial” for Woods. Bernhard Langer and Jack Nicklaus have predicted that he will eventually play for the seniors. Paul Azinger even argued that Woods might feel an “obligation” to take the tee on the 54-hole circuit. PGA Tour Champions president Miller Brady said they are “ready” for Woods and the attention he would attract if he decides the senior tour is for him.
Stewart Cink told GOLF’s Jessica Marksbury that the PGA Tour Champions would be an ideal place for Woods to compete and stay sharp for the majors.
“[Woods] has already earned his inheritance. He’s not going to come out here and recreate a new legacy,” Cink told GOLF. “But I think he could bring it down to its purest form, which is just competition, and testing himself. It would be a good way for him to test his body and see how it goes, preparing for some of his other tournaments, majors and the like. It would be huge.”
While no one knows when – or if – Woods will make his PGA Tour Champions debut, PGA Tour winner Tommy Gainey, now playing on the PGA Tour Champions, believes he has an idea – or at least a hunch – as to when the 15-time Major winner will take his place on the senior circuit.
“There are rumors he’s going to play here,” Gainey continued SiriusXM PGA TOUR Radio. “I don’t know if any of the golf fans in TV land or radio land saw it, but he signed a deal with Insperity. You could see it on his sleeve, so that’s good news.”
“And Insperity has a tournament on the PGA Tour Champions. So I might let people think whatever they want to think about that, but that tells me if he can play, he’ll play in it.”
The Insperity Invitational will be held May 4-10 in The Woodlands, Texas, which could give Woods plenty of time to heal from the lumbar intervertebral surgery he underwent in October.
During the final TGL match, Woods provided an update on his recovery and the timeline for his return to competition.
“I’m switching to the short irons, so that’s it,” Woods said. “I need something more to play [on TGL]. At my current speed I could probably play the Stinger hole. Just roll it off the tee. But no, I’m making progress, which is nice. I’m getting there and getting stronger. It’s just one of those things where it takes so much time for the bone to heal and for the bone to harden.”
Woods tore his Achilles tendon last year while preparing for the Masters.
Gainey, who won the Hale Irwin Rookie of the Year Award on the PGA Tour Champions last season, is looking forward to hopefully playing alongside Woods on the senior circuit once the 15-time major winner is healthy.
“The biggest thing for him is I want him to get healthy,” Gainey said. “And if he gets healthy and plays here, I would love to go into the final round with him, with the chance to win a golf tournament against him. That would be a dream come true.”
“Everyone knows he was the man of the PGA Tour and in my opinion he still moves the needle. I’m so glad he’s 50 because he’ll bring more attention to the PGA Tour champions. And that will never hurt.”
PGA Tour Champions Players Director Steve Flesch knows how much Woods’ presence would mean to the senior circuit. They just hope they see it in real life.
“Every meet we’re at, hopefully he’s playing,” Felsch told GOLF’s Jessica Marksbury. “Nobody knows. I think we all agree that if he played, he might play five [tournaments]. He’s certainly not going to play fifteen, but if we can get ten out of him, that would be fantastic. But no one knows.
“I mean, we all hope he does. But we also hope that if he decides to play, he more than just lets the tournament directors know the Friday night before the tournament. My guess is he’ll play the majors he can. But no one really knows.”
No one knows, but Gainey believes Woods has dropped some breadcrumbs about his plans.
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