Will Tiger Play On The Champions Tour?

Tiger Woods has announced that he has endured yet another back surgery, making this his seventh since April 2014. And his back hasn’t been the only issue over the years—a February 2021 car crash shattered his right leg and ankle, leading to multiple surgeries.

Since that accident nearly five years ago, Tiger has played 15 golf tournaments. Four of them have been the 36-hole father-son event in Orlando where he plays alongside his son, Charlie, while getting to use a cart.

It’s become obvious that we can finally say Woods is done as a competitive golfer at the highest level.

His body has been through unfathomable abuse and there is nothing left to prove, especially after he came back from the dead (figuratively) to win the 2018 Tour Championship and 2019 Masters. The last time he played anything close to a full schedule was 2020. The last time he made a cut was 18 months ago. He is 2,048th in the Official World Golf Ranking.

I could go on, but we all know the reality here: Tiger Woods has nothing left in the tank.

Sure, maybe he’ll play in some majors or the Genesis Invitational. Maybe he’ll get out there every once in a while with the game’s best. Maybe he’ll even defy the odds and make a cut or two.

Still, it will be as a ceremonial golfer—something Woods himself said he never wants to be.

That leads me into a question a few golf friends have asked over the past couple years: Will Tiger decide to play golf on the PGA Tour Champions senior circuit? Does he have the desire? The ability?

Should Tiger play with the old guys?

Tiger turns 50 in December. That makes him eligible to play on the senior circuit against many of the game’s legends.

While most golf fans rarely pay attention to the Champions Tour, it’s still a legitimate tour with great players and great competition. For many, it’s an opportunity to make decent money and still satisfy that golf tournament itch.

Tiger doesn’t need the money but it’s reasonable to think he still might want to scratch the itch.

Champions Tour regular Ernie Els told the Palm Beach Post that he had this plea for Tiger: “I’ve said, please come play. And I think it can only be beneficial to him. He will get himself in golf shape. You can ride a cart without any shame and if there was one guy that should be able to drive a cart, it’s him … and he can get his ass back in shape.”

Does Els have a point? Let’s break it down.

Why Woods should consider PGA Tour Champions

Like Els mentions, Woods would be able to ride a cart during competition.

His inability to walk four rounds of tournament golf has held him back from competing in—and sometimes just finishing—tournaments. That wouldn’t be as much of a factor during senior events. Also, many of the events are 54 holes.

He loves tournament golf, so that alone could be the deciding factor.

Even if he doesn’t want to play in many of the typical senior events, playing in some of the senior majors could be appealing. If Woods won the U.S. Senior Open, that would be yet another USGA title under his belt.

He’s also been enjoying the social aspect of being around pro golfers, so joining the Champions Tour on a somewhat regular basis could be a benefit. These would all be golfers from his generation.

It would certainly be the biggest thing the Champions Tour has ever experienced.

Why Woods should not consider PGA Tour Champions

The most obvious point is that Woods is simply too injured to play competitive golf. Perhaps he should just retire completely, saving his body and focusing on being an ambassador for the game.

Woods also has a commitment to TGL. Even if that doesn’t involve too much stress in terms of real competition, it’s still time consuming.

You know what else is time consuming? Trying to shape the future of professional golf, which he has been doing behind the scenes during PGA Tour-PIF negotiations (although those don’t seem to be going anywhere).

Also—and this remains a key point—Tiger has nothing to prove whatsoever. Would playing senior golf motivate him? Would it be beneath him? Would he even be competitive at that level?

The likes of Jack Nicklaus and Arnold Palmer played senior golf but they didn’t have the injuries that Tiger did. It was more of a postscript to their careers. Nobody really remembers what they did at that stage.

Sean’s take

There is no right or wrong answer here but I would be surprised if Tiger played more than a few senior majors.

It also wouldn’t surprise me in the slightest if he eschewed competitive golf completely in favor of total hit-and-giggle tournaments like the PNC Championship.

It’s always felt like Tiger would be a competitive golfer with a chance to win meaningful tournaments or he wouldn’t be a competitive golfer at all.

Ultimately, I think he probably plays a couple of Champions events but doesn’t spend much time going up against the olds.

What do you think?

Let me know below in the comments.

Top Photo Caption: Tiger Woods could join the PGA Tour Champions in 2026. (GETTY IMAGES/Tim Heitman)