Tiger Woods mocks his current golf game in hilarious new TGL interview

Tiger Woods has never been one to shy away from a challenge. But as the 15-time major champion approaches his 50th birthday, the greatest golfer of his generation – perhaps of all time – seems to be facing a challenge even he can’t outwork: his own body.

In a refreshing new TGL interview promoting the league’s upcoming second season, Woods, 49, appeared relaxed and smiling, clearly enjoying himself as he fielded a series of quick-fire questions with TV personality Will Lowery. 

Yet beneath the humour lay a quiet poignancy – a reflection of a man coming to terms with the harsh reality of his fading golf career.

When asked, "If your golf ball could speak, what would it say?", Woods chuckled before replying: "Now? It would probably start laughing."

Scroll down to watch the video, which also rather hilariously indicated Woods has never done a blind ranking in his life before...

It was modern Tiger – witty, self-aware, and slightly self-deprecating. 

But for those who’ve followed his remarkable career, it was also tinged with sadness. 

The joke said it all: the game that once obeyed his every command now mocks him from a distance he can no longer bridge.

Watch the video here: 

Woods earlier this month confirmed he had undergone the seventh back surgery of his storied career – a lumbar disc replacement between the L4 and L5 vertebrae. 

The operation, aimed at alleviating persistent pain and mobility issues, was deemed successful. 

However, doctors have cautioned that any meaningful return to competitive golf remains uncertain.

The procedure was made necessary by the strain placed on the L4/L5 area following an earlier spinal fusion. 

It was another major step in a long medical journey that has tested Woods’ resilience far beyond the fairways. 

Earlier this season, he was already in recovery mode after surgery to repair a ruptured Achilles tendon, further limiting his mobility.

These latest setbacks have extended a grim pattern of injury and rehabilitation that has defined Woods’ later career. 

The effects of his high-speed car crash in Los Angeles in 2021, which left him with severe leg and ankle injuries, are still evident every time he walks a golf course.

To many, the fact that Woods can still swing a club at all is nothing short of miraculous.

Woods hasn’t teed it up in a competitive event since the 2024 Open at Royal Troon, and he likely won’t feature again this season. 

He’s highly likely ruled out of both his Hero World Challenge in early December and the PNC Championship just before Christmas, a Scramble event he had hoped to play once again alongside his 16-year-old son, Charlie.

That means 2025 will mark the first full year since 2016 in which Woods hasn’t played a single competitive tournament. 

A sobering milestone.

Several medical experts consulted by GolfMagic estimate that Woods will need at least three to four months before even considering a return to golf practice. 

Should all go well, a comeback at the 2026 Masters could be on the cards – though even that might be optimistic.

But by then, it's recently come to light from a golf stats guru that Woods could fall out of the Official World Golf Ranking completely. 

The former World No.1 this week fell to a career-low of 2,084th in the world. 

While Woods’ competitive days on the PGA Tour remain uncertain, he is still deeply involved in shaping the sport’s future. 

His tech-powered indoor golf league, TGL, co-founded with Rory McIlroy and Mike McCarley under their TMRW Sports banner, is gearing up for its second season this winter.

Woods’ team, Jupiter Links GC, is set to begin its campaign on Tuesday 13 January 2026 at the futuristic SoFi Center in Florida. 

The 82-time PGA Tour winner claims he will be in attendance at all of his team's fixtures.

Though whether he’ll take a swing himself remains up in the air for now. 

For his most ardent fans, even seeing him there in person will be something to savour as the curtain slowly draws on his career. 

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It’s no secret Woods’ performances in recent seasons have been a shadow of his prime. 

Despite playing all four majors in 2024, he missed the cut in three and finished 60th at The Masters, the last man standing among those who made the weekend.

There were flashes – a miraculous up-and-down here, a perfectly flighted iron there – of the genius that once dominated golf. 

But his physical limitations were unmistakable, and that's still the case today. 

Woods' ability to grind through 72 holes, to walk the walk that once terrified opponents, simply isn’t there anymore.

And yet, Woods has handled it all with remarkable humour and humility. 

His recent TGL quip at the top of this story wasn’t just a joke; it was a window into a man at peace with his achievements, if not entirely ready to say goodbye.

If Woods’ own golf ball is laughing these days, there’s another one that’s starting to roar. 

His son Charlie Woods has been making his own mark on the junior golf scene, and Tiger has been every bit the proud dad.

Charlie, 16, claimed his first individual AJGA title earlier this year at the Team TaylorMade Invitational and another win for The Benjamin School while the 2025 Ryder Cup played out at Bethpage Black in New York. 

Woods' son currently sits inside the top 10 of the AJGA Boys Rankings, an impressive feat for a player still in his teens.

Watching Charlie’s progress on the fairways seems to have brought Tiger immense joy, as too watching his daughter Samantha, 17, equally excel on a soccer pitch. 

If his own career is indeed winding down, the thought of passing the sporting torch to his son and daughter might be the perfect consolation.

Woods has told reporters repeatedly in recent years that he’ll only play in Tour events if he believes he can compete to win. 

He's not interested in ceremonial appearances. Still, Woods’ story has never been one of easy endings. 

As he approaches his 50th birthday on 30 December 2025, a new chapter may yet await – the PGA Tour Champions, where he could play shorter events and use a cart. 

Whether he chooses that path remains to be seen.  Motivation, not ability, might be the deciding factor there. 

Three-time PGA Tour winner Johnson Wagner thinks we'll sadly never see Woods play another major again. 

Here at GolfMagic, we wouldn’t be surprised if Woods has one final stage in mind for his curtain call: The Open Championship at St Andrews in 2027.

The famous Old Course at St Andrews remains his favourite links in the world – the Home of Golf – and the place where record 18-time major champion Jack Nicklaus, said farewell to competition. 

For a man who has always cherished the history of the game, it would be a fitting, almost poetic goodbye.

One source close to Woods recently told the Daily Mail: "He's not stupid. He knows the end is near, but he wants to finish on his terms. He wants to have one last major moment – to end with a bang, not a whimper."

Off the course, Woods seems to have found a measure of personal happiness again. 

Earlier this year, he confirmed he is in a new relationship with Vanessa Trump, the ex-wife of Donald Trump Jr. 

Tiger and Vanessa made their relationship public on social media in March 2025.

It’s a glimpse of contentment from a man whose life has often been lived under the harshest of spotlights.

So, when Woods laughs about his golf ball "starting to laugh", it’s not self-pity – it’s self-awareness. 

The humour masks the hard truth that the game has finally caught up with him. 

But it also reflects something deeper: acceptance.

For a man who’s defied the odds countless of times, this may be the final test – learning to let go with grace, while still inspiring millions just by showing up.

Whether he swings a club again at Augusta, St Andrews, or anywhere else, one thing’s for certain: Tiger Woods doesn’t need another comeback to cement his legacy.

He’s already done more than enough.