Tiger Woods didn’t hesitate, shaking his head and giving an emphatic “no.”
The 15-time major champion met with the press on Tuesday as he prepares to host the Genesis Invitational, although he won’t be competing at Riviera this weekend. One of the biggest questions, of course, would be whether Woods would play in any tournament this year. Woods, who underwent disc replacement surgery in October, said there isn’t a set timetable for his return.
“My body has been through a lot,” Woods said, via ESPN. “Each and every day, I keep trying, I keep progressing, trying to get it to a level that I can play at the highest level.”
However, when asked outright about competing at Augusta National in 2026, Woods shook his head and revealed he hasn’t ruled out a return.
Tiger Woods on His Overall Health
The last time Tiger Woods won the Masters was in 2019, when he rallied from behind to beat some of the heaviest hitters on the PGA Tour. At the time, Woods had undergone two back surgeries and was battling to return to dominant form.
Woods, who turned 50 in December, has now undergone seven back procedures. In 2021, Woods underwent several surgeries following a single-car crash that shattered his right leg. He also had a ruptured Achilles tendon repaired in March 2025.
“I’ve 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,” he said on Tuesday. “That’s something that, as I said, I won’t do out here on [the PGA Tour] because I don’t believe in it. But on the Champions Tour, that’s certainly an opportunity.”
Woods played without a cart when he competed at the Masters in 2023 and 2024, withdrawing in 2023 because of plantar fasciitis.
He hasn’t competed in an official PGA Tour event since the Open Championship in July 2024, and he underwent spine surgery two months later.
Tiger Woods’ Masters Achievements
Tiger Woods’ 2019 Masters win at 43 will forever live as one of sports’ greatest comeback stories.
There is always excitement when it comes to Tiger Woods competing for another green jacket, given the number of Masters records he holds.
Woods has won the Masters a record five times, second only to Jack Nicklaus’ six victories at Augusta National. He set the record for youngest champion (21 years, 3 months, 14 days) when he won his first Masters in 1997.
Woods is also one of just three golfers to win back-to-back Masters (2001, 2002), joining Nicklaus (1965, 1966) and Nick Faldo (1989, 1990) in the exclusive group.
Golf Digest notes that Woods also holds records for several in-tournament feats, like sinking the most consecutive birdies (2005) and the most eagles in one Masters (2010). He also has the most consecutive rounds of par or better, posting 16 straight rounds spanning from “2007’s third round through 2011’s second round.”
Tiger Woods is also one of just 28 golfers to come from behind after three rounds to win the Masters. That’s exactly what he did in 2019, when he rallied to finish one stroke ahead of Xander Schauffele, Brooks Koepka, and Dustin Johnson. It is his last major victory to date.
Tiger Woods Hasn’t Ruled Out Return at the Masters