Why Tiger Woods Isn’t Playing In The Olympics

There’s very little Tiger Woods hasn’t achieved in his career, but there is one glaring omission from his incredible resume - he has yet to make an appearance in the Olympics, and he's not at Paris 2024, either. But why is that? 

Because the qualifying criteria is based on the Official World Golf Ranking, Woods didn't get close to making Team USA for the 2024 Olympics. However, while he never looked like forcing his way into contention throughout the two-year qualifying period, he has been unlucky to miss out at other times in his career.

Golf only returned to the Olympics schedule in 2016 after a 112-year hiatus. Had it been part of the Games in previous editions, there is no doubt whatsoever that Woods would have played a big part for Team USA given his dominance in the earlier part of his career. 

Incredibly, between 18 May 1997 and 27 February 2011, Woods was never lower than third in the world rankings. That would have made him a shoo-in for the Olympics had golf been held in the three editions the period encompassed. He’d have almost certainly made it to the 2012 London Olympics, too, had golf been held there, given he spent months leading to the Games within the world’s top four.

While golf didn’t return to the Olympics until four years later, in Rio de Janeiro, by then, injuries had begun to take their toll on his ranking. In particular, back surgery that sidelined him for almost all of 2016 scuppered arguably his best chance of making an appearance.

There has certainly been no lack of desire on Woods’ part to appear at an Olympics, although, before the 2019 US Open, he admitted age was catching up with him.

Speaking about making it to the 2020 games in Tokyo, he said: "Olympic gold medal would be a hell of a feat. First I need to qualify. It would be exciting if I got a chance to represent the United States in the Olympic Games.

"I don't know how many more times I get a run at it. Next time I'll be 48. So it's... I don't have that many chances of playing for the United States in the Olympics. So it will certainly be an honor if I were able to represent the United States."

Woods certainly appeared primed for an appearance as the new decade began. In January 2020. Helped by his 15th Major win at The Masters the previous April, Woods was seventh in the world needing to overtake one of Brooks Koepka, Justin Thomas, Dustin Johnson and Patrick Cantlay in the world rankings by 22 June to confirm his place as one of the top four Americans.

Then, the Covid-19 pandemic hit, postponing the games for a year and delaying the qualifying cut-off until 21 June 2021. In January that year, it was announced that Woods had undergone microdiscectomy surgery to remove a bone fragment that pinched a nerve, which all but ended his chances.

The following month, he was involved in a single-car accident that badly damaged his right leg and threatened the end of his career. At that point, any lingering hopes he may somehow make the team were stopped in their tracks, and he has struggled to recover his best form ever since returning a year later at The Masters.

With the cut-off for qualification for the 2024 Olympics coming immediately after the US Open at Pinehurst No.2, Woods was far away from where he needed to be to make the team, standing 842nd when, ultimately, only a place in the top seven would do.

Fans have learned over the years that you write off Woods at your peril, particularly when he has a point to prove, so it would be unwise to completely dismiss his chances of making the team for the Los Angeles Olympics in 2028 just yet. However, that would take an extraordinary effort, even by his own incredible standards.

While time will tell how competitive Woods is when the qualifying period begins for the next Games, for now, it is possibly safer to assume that, where Woods and the Olympics are concerned, it might ultimately be a case of “not meant to be.”