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Nothing outside of the big leagues has never been guaranteed for Tiger Woods when it comes to his schedule. And now, even that is certain in the wake of the news that the Woods recently had a microdiscectomy procedure to relieve nerve pain in his lower back.
Apparently, Woods is already hitting bullets after undergoing the procedure on December 23. Still, Woods is out for the Farmers Insurance Open as well as the Genesis Invitational, two tournaments he was supposed to play.
At 45, Woods was already in a questionable situation of dealing with a stiff back that was inevitable as a result of his spinal fusion surgery in 2017. Now the added wrinkle is recovering from the microdiscectomy procedure, which doesn’t require usually not overnight, but clearly takes some recovery time.
We expected less before all of this, and now it seems to be even more the case as 2021 progresses. With that in mind, here’s an overview of Woods’ planning possibilities.
Bay hill
The Arnold Palmer Invitational (March 4-7) would apparently be the first place for a comeback, and it’s only six weeks away – which seems like a stretch. Woods has been very successful at Bay Hill, winning eight times, most recently in 2013. Since then his best effort has been a tie for fifth in 2018, when he briefly fought in the final round. He has missed the tournament, however, for the past two years. In 2019, he complained of stiff neck; last year he jumped due to back problems. Missing the last two makes it easier to skip it again. And playing out of rough Bay Hill isn’t a good deal. It seems to be a long way off.
Sawgrass
The Players Championship (March 11-14) has never been a particularly great tournament for Woods, even though he has won it twice. Still, Tiger doesn’t skip the PGA Tour signature event unless he’s physically incapable. Given that the return process took place on December 23, there is a silver lining.
PGA National
The Honda Classic (March 18-21) is only a few miles from Woods’ home, and he’s played the event several times over the years. It would have been banned if everything had remained normal, but now it’s a distinct possibility. It is eight weeks away and three weeks before the Masters. Having a home game might be exactly what works best. PGA National is a tough place to work, but Woods might not have a choice. The following week’s match play event is not guaranteed.
Austin Country Club
The WGC-Dell Technologies Match Play Championship (March 25-28) takes place two weeks before the Masters, and Woods is enjoying the moment. He’s guaranteed three rounds in the round robin format, and anything beyond that is a bonus. Two years ago, Woods was tied for fifth at Austin Country Club, losing in the quarterfinals. He won the Masters two weeks later. Here’s the problem: it might not qualify. Woods is ranked 44th in the world and declining. Can he stay in the top 64 at that time? Does he even want to risk the possibility of playing multiple games if he arrives at the weekend? If not eligible, the Honda from the previous week makes more sense. Crazy Thinking: Woods does not qualify and shows up at the opposite event in the Dominican Republic.
Augusta National
The week of April 3 is now circled. If Woods can’t come back before, can he come back to the Masters? It’s not a great place to come back, but he’s done it before: in 2010 and 2015, that last year having taken nine weeks off to work on his game. Woods hates missing the Masters. The fact that he had a problem and seemed determined to resolve it as quickly as possible suggests that he will do whatever he can to be in Augusta.
Innisbrook
The transfer of the Valspar Championship from March to three weeks after the Masters (April 29-May 2) could help the Florida tournament offload Woods. Three years ago, on his fourth start after spinal fusion surgery, he was tied for second, one shot behind winner Paul Casey at the Copperhead course in Innisbrook. The course is not far from home and is really well suited to Woods. It’s also three weeks before the PGA Championship. The only question: would he prefer to play the following week? If it is impossible to play the Masters, this event would be a great place to return as it is over three months away.
Quail Hollow
The Wells Fargo Championship (May 6-10) appears to be a proposition for Woods, who last won the tournament in 2007 and finished fourth in 2009. Since then, he has only played the event four times. , with two missed cups and a tie for 55th in 2018. Quail Hollow Golf Club has undergone several changes that may not be right for Woods. It might take him away. Then again, if he wants to play two weeks before the PGA Championship, that would be the choice, meaning he skips Valspar.
Kiawah Island
For the PGA Championship (May 13-17), we’re unlikely to see Woods doing what he did in 2019 – which isn’t played until the tournament after the Masters. His only start before the PGA last year was the Memorial, his first tournament after the pandemic ended. In 2012, Woods shared the 36-hole lead at Kiawah Island (SC) with Vijay Singh and Carl Pettersson, to shoot 74-72 this weekend and fall well back. Rory McIlroy won the tournament by 8 shots; Woods finished tied for 11th, 11 strokes back.
Muirfield Village
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 right place. Barring the unforeseen, it’s hard to see Tiger skip 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 victory over Rocco Mediate in 2008. It was his 14th major title, and an avalanche of things happened over the course of the Last 13 years. But Torrey should rather appeal to Woods.
Royal St. George’s
It’s hard to see Woods playing between the Open. He’s unlikely to face the Travelers the week after the US Open or the John Deere the week before the Open. That leaves only the Rocket Mortgage Championship in Detroit, a place he’s never played. He hasn’t competed at the Royal St. George’s Open in Sandwich, England for 18 years. He missed the 2011 tournament due to an injury. He was fourth when Ben Curtis shocked the world in 2003. He scored just 2 backs from Thomas Bjorn before the final round and missed a playoff by 2 strokes. (The infamous Woods had lost a ball on the very first hole of the tournament, his rough drive was not found in the allotted time; he made a triple bogey 7.)
TPC Southwind
Remember when Woods was one of the main contenders to play in the Olympics? A year ago at this time, he was ranked sixth in the world, first to be one of the top four Americans. Now he’s barely in the top 50 – where he’ll have to be if he wants to even qualify for the WGC-FedEx St. Jude Invitational in Memphis. The WGC is perfect for him (that’s a week after the Olympic men’s golf tournament), three weeks after the Open and two weeks before the FedEx Cup qualifiers. The big questions: will he be eligible? And where will it be in the FedEx rankings?
The FedEx Cup qualifiers
Woods was unable to qualify for the Tour Championship in 2019 despite winning the Masters, nor was he able to do so last year despite winning the Zozo Championship. Over the past three years he has shown a tendency to play them all if he is eligible.
This year, the Northern Trust (August 19-22) returns to Liberty National, where it retired after a tour in 2019; the BMW Championship (August 26-29) takes place at a new site at Caves Valley Golf Club in Maryland; and the Tour Championship (September 2-5) returns to East Lake in Atlanta, where Woods won in 2018 – and is yet to return.
The verdict
It’s the same story: Woods’ physical form, his ability to train and compete will determine how much he plays in 2021. After missing two tournaments he was supposed to play, and maybe more, it looks like Woods could play before the FedEx Cup playoffs, that’s 10 tournaments. It’s hard to see him play more than that. And it might even be one or two less. As always, the focus will be on major championships. From there, how he feels and his motivation to advance in the FedEx Cup playoffs will likely determine how well we see him.
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