Tiger Woods discussed his future (Image: TGL via Getty Images)
has confessed that his ‘heart is not really into’ practicing following the death of his mother Kultida last month. Woods was scheduled to return to the at the Genesis Invitational as tournament host in February, but withdrew due to his mum’s passing.
He has since made two TGL appearances, the most recent being on Tuesday when Jupiter Links lost to Atlanta Drive. Speaking after the match at the SoFi Center, Woods revealed his disconnection from the sport: “This is the third time I’ve touched a club since my mom passed, so I haven’t really gotten into it. My heart is really not into practicing right now.”
Besides grieving for his mother, Woods also cited his role on the PGA Tour’s policy board as a reason for not focusing on his game: “I’ve had so many other things to do with the Tour and trying to do other things,” he stated, suggesting his attention has been diverted. “Once I start probably feeling a little bit better and start getting into it, I’ll start looking at the schedule.”
There were expectations that Woods would participate in next week’s Players Championship having missed the Genesis, but his participation now seems unlikely.
The 15-time major champion has been absent from competition since last summer’s Open Championship at Royal Troon, where he missed the cut amid challenging conditions along the Scottish coast. His struggles continued as he also failed to make the weekend at the US Open and PGA Championship, although he kept up his impressive streak at the Masters, not missing the cut since he was a 20-year-old amateur in 1996.
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Tiger Woods has spoken about how he has no desire to practice (Image: Getty Images)
With speculation mounting over his participation at TPC Sawgrass next week, fans are eagerly anticipating news of his appearance at this year’s Masters, now just over a month away. Following his recovery from life-altering injuries sustained in a car crash in February 2021, Woods has played in the last three Masters tournaments, marking his return in 2022.
However, 2024 proved to be another year marred by injury, culminating in back surgery in September and an absence from the Hero World Challenge in December. Yet, speaking at Torrey Pines last month, the golf legend revealed his ambition to increase his presence in top-tier tournaments: “My goal was to play more and I haven’t played. Got to work on that. This process was unexpected. I’ll get back after it and look forward to playing some bigger events.”