Tiger Woods Keeps Door Open to 2026 Masters While Progressing Through Rehab
Tiger Woods, serving as host at Riviera Country Club this week, stopped short of ruling out a return to Augusta in April 2026 while offering a blunt assessment of his recovery. The 15-time major champion remains in rehabilitation after a series of injuries and surgeries, but said he is hitting full shots daily and sees multiple potential pathways back to competition.
Where the comeback stands
Woods has not played a PGA Tour event since the 2024 Open Championship at Royal Troon and has had a busy medical timeline since. He ruptured his left Achilles in March 2025 and later had lumbar disc-replacement surgery at L4/5 last fall, a procedure that followed what was described as his seventh back surgery. He said he has had no new health setbacks in the months since the back operation and that his Achilles is no longer an issue.
On the practice front, Woods acknowledged that he is hitting full shots on a daily basis, though he cautioned those swings are not yet where he wants them. "It's just sore. It takes time, " he said of the disc replacement, noting that recovery timelines vary and that he expects his own return to take longer than younger players who have had similar procedures. He added a wry aside about losing the ability to dunk a basketball as a reminder of the limitations he is balancing with his work to rebuild strength and endurance.
Playing options before April
When asked point-blank at Riviera whether the 2026 Masters was off the table, Woods did not close the door. He declined to set a firm target date for a return to the PGA Tour and also left open the possibility of debuting on the PGA Tour Champions, having turned 50 last December. The senior circuit presents immediate options: there are three Champions events on the calendar ahead of the Masters that could serve as tune-ups, and the use of a cart in senior competition was cited as a factor that makes that route more feasible.
On the PGA Tour side, several tournaments between now and April could theoretically accommodate him. As a past champion he would have an entry path to the Arnold Palmer Invitational, and tournament organizers could offer spots in other lead-up events such as the Valspar Championship, the Houston Open and the Valero Texas Open. He is not eligible for the Players Championship at TPC Sawgrass. Woods also noted he is not playing this week at Riviera and will miss the Cognizant Classic next week.
Beyond tournament choices, Woods has not appeared in the indoor simulator league he helped start this year, and he has publicly kept his training routine private. The overall message from his comments at Riviera was steady: incremental progress, no new setbacks, and no firm timetable. Whether that adds up to teeing it up at Augusta National in April remains a question he clearly prefers to leave open as rehabilitation continues.
For now, the golf world will watch his practice reports and any entries he lists in the coming weeks. The prospect of seeing Woods in competitive action again — at a major or on a senior circuit — still hinges on the slow, measured work he says is happening every day.
