Where and when will Tiger Woods next play on PGA Tour after latest setback?
Tiger Woods has a couple of options for his next PGA Tour event ahead of The Masters.
Two days removed from Tiger Woods being forced to withdraw from the Genesis Invitational at Riviera, all eyes now turn to where we could see the golf legend next on the PGA Tour.
Woods, 48, could not manage any more than six holes in his second round before pulling out the event won by Hideki Matsuyama who shot an astonishing 62 on Sunday to claim the $4m first prize.
Matsuyama was left devastated not to have met Woods on the 18th green.
Woods’ withdrawal was unrelated to his long-standing injury problems and instead a result of flu-like symptoms first experienced on Thursday night.
The 15-time major winner underwent ankle surgery after last year’s Masters and did not play until the Hero World Challenge in December.
Where will Tiger Woods play next on the PGA Tour?
All eyes are now on where Woods will play next following his latest PGA Tour setback.
Woods stated at the end of 2023 he wanted to play one tournament per month beginning in February.
So that gives us some clues.
Woods said in a press conference at the 2023 Hero World Challenge:
If that is still the case, Woods will be eyeing up a potential return from illness at either the Arnold Palmer Invitational, where he has won eight times with the last being in 2013, or The Players Championship.
The fourth Signature event on the PGA Tour, the Arnold Palmer Invitational, begins on 7 March and that is quickly followed by The Players.
Woods has played in the Arnold Palmer Invitational at iconic Bay Hill every year he has been healthy.
However, with The Players Championship at famed TPC Sawgrass the following week, Woods will more than likely choose to sit out Arnie's event and play in the PGA Tour’s marquee tournament instead.
The Players Championship is rightly considered the unofficial fifth major on the PGA Tour.
Woods is unlikely going to play two weeks in a row as well, so we are confident his next event will be The Players Championship.
Then again, the last player to win back-to-back titles at Bay Hill and Sawgrass was none other than Woods in 2001.
So maybe he will decide to give things a go, we'll have to wait and see.
Interestingly, Woods has not played at The Players since 2019, two weeks before he won his fifth Masters.
He has won the PGA Tour's flagship event twice, in 2001 and 2013, and had top-10 finishes on three other occasions.
If Woods remains healthy it is almost set in stone he will play at The Masters from 11-14 April, and if he decides to go for The Players-Masters route then we may see another extraordinary storyline just like 2019.
Recent form suggests otherwise though.
The five-time Masters champion withdrew from The Masters last year after he was unable to battle through to the final round.
Shortly before the close of his third round, Woods made consecutive double bogeys at the 15th and 16th holes and did not return the next day to complete his round due to a plantar fasciitis.
The 82-time PGA Tour winner remains tied with Sam Snead for most PGA Tour wins.
However, since his last PGA top-10 back in 2020, Woods has not come remotely close to an illustrious 83rd title.
In his last five official PGA Tour events, he has withdrawn three times, missed the cut, and finished tied 45th.
His lowest finish since his tie for ninth at Torrey Pines in 2020 was a T37 at the 2020 PGA Championship.
Woods last week launched his new clothing brand Sun Day Red at Riviera Country Club in the tournament that benefits his TGR Foundation.
Sun Day Red is Woods' new apparel line in partnership with TaylorMade after he ended his 27-year relationship with Nike.
The clothing line is set to be available to the public from 1 May.
Verdict
GolfMagic predicts Tiger Woods will return to the PGA Tour at the 2024 Players Championship from 14-17 March, before turning his attentions to the first major of the year at The Masters from 11-14 April.
What did you make of Woods' performance last week prior to his WD? Will Woods ever land that outright record 82nd PGA Tour title? Share your thoughts over on the GolfMagic social media channels.
