Tiger Woods On Potential Masters Return, Anthony Kim And Ryder Cup Captaincy

Tiger Woods speaks at a press conference — (Image credit: Getty Images)

Tiger Woods says The Masters is not off the table as the 15-time Major winner continues his recovery from his seventh back surgery in October.

The 82-time PGA Tour winner was speaking to the media ahead of the Genesis Invitational, which he hosts, where he revealed he is back hitting full shots again, having not played a tournament since the 2024 Open Championship at Royal Troon.

“Is the Masters off the table for you?”Tiger Woods: "No" pic.twitter.com/IkRuh7D396February 17, 2026

The five-time Green Jacket winner missed last year's Masters but made the cut for a record 24th consecutive year in 2024.

The tournament host turned 50 in December and as well as regular PGA Tour events and Majors, he is now eligible for the PGA Tour Champions, where he can used a cart - and that's something he sounds open to.

"Well, I'm trying, put it that way," he responded when asked how close he is to a return.

"The disc replacement has been one thing. I've had a fused back and now a disc replacement, so it's challenging.

"And now I entered a new decade, so that number is starting to sink in and has us thinking about the opportunity to be able to play in a cart.

"That's something that, as I said, I won't do out here on this tour because I don't believe in it.

"But on the Champions Tour, that's certainly that opportunity."

Tiger Woods takes a shot at the PNC Championship — Woods says he's back hitting full shots again

Woods also gave an update on his ankle, which he says is no longer an issue after rupturing his left achilles tendon last March.

"Yeah, the achilles was not an issue. I can't dunk a basketball anymore, so don't have to worry about that," he said.

"As far as the disc replacement, it's just sore. It takes time. Willy Z [Will Zalatoris] went through it, and it took him a while to come back. I'm a little bit older than Willy Z.

"It's probably going to take me a little bit longer. My body has been through a lot.

"It's just one of those things where it's each and every day, I keep trying, I keep progressing, I keep working on it, trying to get stronger, trying to get more endurance in this body and trying to get it at a level at which I can play at the highest level again."

Woods also paid tribute to Anthony Kim after the three-time PGA Tour winner won his first professional title in 16 years at LIV Golf Adelaide this weekend following 12 years away from the game.

Woods was still in his prime when Kim burst onto the scene and said "you have to wrap your heart around" the 40-year-old's inspiring comeback.

Anthony Kim celebrates winning LIV Golf Adelaide — Kim won his first title in 16 years at LIV Golf Adelaide

"Yeah, this kid hit it so good. He was on an unbelievable run when he won at Charlotte, and we played each other at Congressional. He played unbelievable at the 2008 Ryder Cup," Woods said.

"He had so much natural talent. He could hit any shot he wanted. Then to see him struggle in life and didn't really want to play golf, didn't really want to be part of golf, and for him to come all the way back and for him to win and to be as devoted as he is to his family, it's a story in which you just have to wrap your heart around it because of the struggles.

"We can all relate to struggles. We all struggle in life. The longer it goes, the more tough times you've had.

"But for him to fight through it and for Anthony to get to where he's gotten to, from the low that he was in, is something that, as I said, you have to just wrap your heart around it."

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Woods wears many hats these days, from his personal life to his golfing comeback and his position on the PGA Tour board, which is keeping him busy with huge schedule changes potentially on the horizon.

Then there's the small matter of the Ryder Cup captaincy, which he says he has been asked about after turning it down for Bethpage Black last year due to his busy schedule.

He remains undecided on whether he can take the job on.

Tiger Woods Ryder Cup record — Woods remains undecided on the Ryder Cup captaincy

"Yeah, they have asked me for my input on it, and I haven't made my decision yet," he said.

"I'm trying to figure out what we're trying to do with our tour.

"That's been driving me hours upon hours every day and trying to figure out if I can actually do our team, our Team USA and our players and everyone that's going to be involved in the Ryder Cup, if I can do it justice with my time.

"Serving on two boards and what I'm doing for the PGA Tour, I'm trying to figure out if I can actually do this and serve the people that are involved and serve them at an honorable level."

Woods also touched on the schedule changes he is working on for the 2026 PGA Tour season, which are complex enough to potentially be rolled out over both the '26 and '27 campaigns.

"It's been quite a challenge," he admitted.

"It's quite a bit of a challenge on both sides, from the physical golf side of it for me, from trying to do the right thing for all of our membership and our partners and everyone who's associated with the PGA Tour, and trying to do that and trying to make our product even better going forward, given the challenges we have to face.

"I thought I spent a lot of hours practicing in my prime. It doesn't even compare to what we've done in the boardroom.

Tiger Woods speaks at the 2025 Hero World Challenge — Woods chairs the PGA Tour's Future Competitions Committee

"It's been challenging. We're trying to do the right thing. We're making some great strides. The player directors have been unbelievable with their time and their focus and the depth of knowledge and perspective.

"Then we've had unbelievable board members that come from all walks of life that are wanting to make our tour better and wanting to make our product better."

"Well, I think it's trying to serve literally everyone, from the player side of it, from our media partners, from all of our title sponsors, from the local communities or even changing venues and going to bigger markets.

"It's what do we need to do from a competitive model to make our tour the best product it can possibly be each and every year and still have room for development.

"How do we do all of that at the same time? That's been the challenging part because there's been a lot of moving parts over the last couple years to try and get us into the position that we're in now with the FCC [Future Competitions Committee] or the boards being unified and linked together and working together.

"It's been a lot of moving parts, but it's been in sync. We've had a lot of information thrown our way, which has been great. Everyone is working collaboratively together.

"That's where I was hesitant that we were going to have - we were going to be in this position where we were going to work together like this and function at a level to make our product better. But everyone is.

"Everyone is trying to make the PGA Tour the best tour in the world, make it better than what it is now. For the players, so that they can come out here at a younger age, an opportunity like a 16 year old kid here in Riviera in 1992 got an opportunity to play.

"Trying to give that opportunity and those opportunities to these players and the next generations or the generations to come.

"We would like to have it happen in 2027. We may have to roll it out over a couple-year period.

"We may not be able to implement all of it in 2027, but there will definitely be parts of it integrated or changed than from what it is now in '26 into '27."

One big potential change reportedly on the table is a post-Super Bowl season start, which would mean an upheaval of the January-February Hawaii and West Coast events. Torrey Pines has reportedly been mooted as a potential Playoffs event in August and Woods said the Genesis Invitational moving is a possibility, too.

"Well, I think that, one, you're going to get weather not like this," he said on what the positives of moving the Genesis to later in the year.

"That's number one. We're going to have perfect days. It's always perfect in So Cal here in August.

"So yes, we're looking at things like that, looking to go to bigger markets later in the year for the Playoffs.

"Just trying to make our competitive model better, and how do we do that. I think that is one of the options you mentioned with Genesis. That's certainly is on the table."

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Elliott Heath is our News Editor and has been with Golf Monthly since early 2016 after graduating with a degree in Sports Journalism. He covered the 2022 and 2025 Masters from Augusta National and was there by the 18th green to watch Rory McIlroy complete the career grand slam. He has also covered five Open Championships on-site including the 150th at St Andrews.

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