Major champion calls on Tiger Woods to play PGA Tour Champions opener

Davis Love III has piled the pressure on Tiger Woods to make his PGA Tour Champions debut the moment he turns 50—urging the 15-time major champion to kick off his senior career in Hawaii next January.

Speaking during this week’s RSM Classic, the final stop of the 2025 PGA Tour season, Love III, who won the 1997 US PGA, made it abundantly clear he wants Woods on the tee at the Mitsubishi Electric Championship at Hualalai from 22–24 January 2026. Woods becomes eligible just days earlier when he turns 50 on 30 December.

Love III, 61, even joked he’s campaigning for a Champions Tour cart mandate to help tempt Woods—and other soon-to-be seniors like Zach Johnson—onto the circuit.

"I don't have any idea," 21-time PGA Tour winner Love III replied when asked by a reporter how many events he thinks Woods will play on the PGA Tour Champions in 2026. 

"I'm pushing for mandatory cart rule on the Champions Tour, so that we have to ride so that everybody including me feels comfortable riding. 

"I feel bad when I ride. I walked 18 holes yesterday. I'm like, I could have -- this Champions Tour, I could have ridden half of this round.

"I'm hoping he'll play. Same thing with Zach Johnson, Zach's about to turn 50. I'm hoping these guys come out and play. 

"It is a lot of fun. It's obviously different than playing -- you know, Tiger could play major championships and probably be competitive if he could get healthy. 

"I'm hoping he'll play and I hope I see him in Hawaii in January. That would be a nice start to the year."

For now, though, Woods remains out of action. 

The former World No.1 hasn’t played a Tour event since missing the cut at The Open at Royal Troon in July 2024—a low point in a season where he also missed three straight major cuts and finished last (solo 60th) among those who made the weekend at The Masters.

The 49-year-old has since endured a year-long absence after March surgery to repair a ruptured left Achilles tendon, followed by the seventh back operation of his career in October. 

Woods' layoff means he’ll skip his Hero World Challenge at Albany in two weeks, where Scottie Scheffler is chasing a historic third straight win.

Still, there are signs Woods is edging closer to a return. 

Close friend Notah Begay suggested this week that Woods may remodel his 2026 schedule around flatter golf courses to protect his feet and back, insisting Woods can "still play all the shots" but struggles with the demands of walking 72 holes.

There’s faint hope of a pre-Christmas cameo at the PNC Championship with his son Charlie, but Team Woods are still not confirmed in the field after finishing runners-up to Team Langer in 2024.

Two medical experts remain cautious, telling GolfMagic that the sensible target is The Masters in April rather than a rushed return that risks another setback. 

But Woods appears to be testing the waters anyway—literally—after reports emerged this week of him trialling Bridgestone prototype balls and seeing a boost in ball speed.

He was also seen in commercial mode for a new PGA Tour 2K video game trailer on Nintendo Switch 2 earlier this week.

Whether he embraces the over-50s circuit in 2026 remains the great unknown. Woods is still chasing his standalone 83rd PGA Tour title, currently tied with Sam Snead on 82, and Begay says that fire is very much alive.

But with Love III openly calling for Woods to launch his Champions Tour career in Hawaii—and with whispers of growing activity behind the scenes—the idea of a January comeback suddenly feels a lot less far-fetched.