Tiger Woods Gives Fresh Update On Return: This Week In Golf

(L to R) Craig Kessler, Tiger Woods, Phil Mickelson

(Image credit: Getty Images)

This Week In Golf: Our regular look at the biggest stories in professional golf, tournament previews and other key details you need to know.

Last week saw the return of Brooks Koepka to the PGA Tour, the LPGA Tour made its bow for 2026 and there was even more movement in the LIV Golf League via Patrick Reed's exit.

And with the PGA Tour and DP World Tour seasons continuing on at the weekend before the NFL's Super Bowl takes centre stage on Sunday night, there is sure to be plenty more in the way of incident until then.

Below is a round-up of some of the biggest stories yet to unfold this week as well as some of the key ones you may have missed.

TIGER WOODS GIVES PESSIMISTIC RETURN UPDATE

Tiger Woods speaks to the media at TGL wearing a white cap and red polo

Tiger Woods has admitted it will still be "some time" before he's back playing competitive golf again as he continues to recover from his latest back surgery.

Woods went under the knife back in October and said in December that he was back to chipping and putting but shared he was "still a ways away" from returning to full strength.

Speaking after Jupiter Links' 8-6 win over Atlanta Drive GC in TGL on Monday, the 15-time Major winner revealed he was certainly not close to competing again.

He said: "“Playing here in [TGL]? I don't know. I like watching these guys. As far as competitive golf, it’s still some time.”

Woods last played a tour-level event at the 2024 Open Championship and did appear in several TGL matches last term before an Achilles injury put him out of action once more.

Now aged 50, he could come back and play the PGA Tour Champions - which permits the use of a cart - in 2026, but Woods' schedule clearly remains up in the air at this stage.

LIV EARNS OWGR POINTS

LIV Golf has finally been given the green light to offer OWGR points at its events from this week, but it's still not completely happy.

The OWGR announced on Tuesday that the top-10 finishers in LIV Golf events from LIV Golf Riyadh would earn world-ranking points, but LIV argued the decision "disproportionately harms" its players who finish just outside those spots before going on to claim that "no other competitive tour or league in OWGR history has been subjected to such a restriction."

LIV RETURNS (WITH MULTIPLE FIELD CHANGES)

Lee Westwood looks on during the 2025 Open Championship at Royal Portrush

The LIV Golf League is back underway in 2026, but there have been a few late alterations to the field in Riyadh.

Phil Mickelson shared he had to remain in the USA to take care of a "family health matter" while Lee Westwood revealed he had injured his wrist in the days leading up to the opening tournament in Saudi Arabia.

Meanwhile, Patrick Reed's late exit for the PIF-backed circuit left 4Aces GC with a spare spot on its roster.

Mickelson has been replaced by Ollie Schniederjans for the first event while Westwood's place has been taken by young Englishman, Ben Schmidt. Miguel Tabuena - a reserve player for 2026 - has stepped in to fill Reed's shoes for the time being.

LPGA CHIEF APOLOGIZES FOR CONFUSION

Craig Kessler speaks following the CME Group Tour Championship in 2025

LPGA Tour commissioner Craig Kessler has apologized to players after the circuit's controversial decision to cut the Hilton Grand Vacations Tournament of Champions down to 54 holes on Sunday.

With temperatures hovering around freezing at Lake Nona Golf & Country Club at the weekend, the call was made to allow all players to complete three rounds before naming a champion thereafter.

However, confusion caused by a number of decisions the LPGA Tour made - which included allowing the celebrity tournament to play nine holes - and contradictory statements left hoards of people unhappy.

In response, Kessler wrote a letter to LPGA Tour members in which he apologized for the way the whole incident was handled.

Here’s the full letter LPGA commissioner Craig Kessler sent out to players addressing what happened on Sunday at the TOC:LPGA Athletes,When I joined the LPGA last July, I said trust would be our highest priority — with all of you, partners, fans, staff and media. This weekend…February 3, 2026

He said: "I made the decision to limit the event to 54 holes, worried that our athletes might be injured given the way record overnight low temperatures hardened the course.

"While the decision was a tough one and ran counter to prior statements we shared, I made a judgement call. With the benefit of hindsight, there were clearly other ways we should have managed the situation.

"I recognize this decision, and others we made in real time, were confusing and disappointing to our fans. And our communication around the decision wasn’t clear or timely enough. Your frustration is valid — I own that, and I’m sorry."

Kessler went on to say that the tour is "taking steps to improve" and that they will learn from the weekend in order to regain players' trust moving forward.

LET ANNOUNCES RECORD PRIZE MONEY

(left) Shannon Tan and Mimi Rhodes (right)

The Ladies European Tour has announced a record prize fund of over 40 million euros ($47 million) for the 2026 season.

La Sella Open, which is one of 30 events on the schedule this year, revealed its prize fund to be $1 million this year, which in turn took the overall prize pot to its highest ever level in 48 seasons.

In a statement, the LET said that a third of its tournaments will now have prize purses of at least seven figures while 10 events have increased their total payout from last term.

The new LET season begins next week with the $5 million PIF Saudi Ladies International in Riyadh.

WM PHOENIX OPEN

Scottie Scheffler headlines the field at the 2026 WM Phoenix Open as the PGA Tour continues its West Coast Swing with the 'Greatest Show On Grass.'

Scheffler has won this event twice before but not since 2023. Since then, Nick Taylor and Thomas Detry have reigned supreme, but the latter is not playing this year following his move to LIV.

TPC Scottsdale's Stadium Course is famous for its Stadium Hole, the par-3 16th which is believed to hold up to 20,000 spectators at any one time.

Anyone who makes a hole-in-one there is promptly showered with cans of beer and earns their name onto a permanent board which stands by the tee box.

Read More: WM Phoenix Open betting tips 2026
Read More: WM Phoenix Open tee times 2026

QATAR MASTERS

The DP World Tour season continues on with a much more serene tournament in Qatar.

Held at Doha GC, a new champion is set to be crowned in 2026 after last year's winner, Haotong Li, crossed over to the PGA Tour at the start of the season.

This week's event also marks the midway point of the International Swing, with a $2.75 million prize purse up for grabs.

AFRICA AMATEUR CHAMPIONSHIP

The third edition of the Africa Amateur Championship is taking place this week at Royal Johannesburg in South Africa.

Started in 2024, the Africa Amateur Championship offers spots into several prestigious events including The Amateur Championship and The Open Championship to its winner.

Bryan Newman claimed victory last year at the tender age of 17 but went on to miss the cut at Royal Portrush.

MINI TWIGS - WHAT ELSE TO KNOW

Rory McIlroy has committed to July's Genesis Scottish Open
The Asian Tour's Singapore Open will offer two spots into The Open Championship at Royal Birkdale later this year
Joel Dahmen successfully applied for a WM Phoenix Open sponsor's exemption via a unique and cheeky method
LIV Golf revealed a huge cut to its season-long championship bonus money payout
Jupiter Links defeated Atlanta Drive 8-6 on Monday night to hand the Georgia-based side its first TGL loss of the season while claiming its debut win
British businessman Peter Jones and his investment group have completed the purchase of American Golf, the UK’s largest golf retailer from private equity investors, Endless LLP (“Endless”)
Nicolas Colsaerts and Brett Rumford have joined the LIV Golf broadcast team for 2026

TOPICS

Jonny Leighfield is our Staff News Writer who joined Golf Monthly just in time for the 2023 Solheim Cup and Ryder Cup. He graduated from the University of Brighton with a degree in Sport Journalism in 2017 and spent almost five years as the sole sports reporter at his local newspaper. During his time with Golf Monthly, Jonny has interviewed several stars of the game, including Robert MacIntyre, Ian Poulter, Lee Westwood, and Joaquin Niemann. An improving golfer himself, Jonny enjoys learning as much about the game as he can and recently reached his Handicap goal of 18 for the first time.

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