What Does The Future Hold For Tiger Woods

View From The Fairway by Derek Clements

When Tiger Woods is not fit enough even to play in his own Hero World Challenge then you know that things are not well with the great man.

We know all about the issues he has been through with the leg he nearly lost in a car crash but most of us had hoped that he had finally put his back issues behind him. But it turns out that he has been under the knife yet again. And it raises serious question marks about his future.

He is now almost 49 years old, a shadow of the golfer who first made us sit up and take notice when he took the PGA Tour by storm at the end of 1996 before tearing the record books to shreds at The Masters in 1997. By 2008 he had won 14 majors and seemed certain to surpass Jack Nicklaus’ record total of 18.

Woods changed the way the game was played. He spent hours in the gym and was a magnificent physical specimen who struck the golf ball in a way we had never witnessed before. The PGA Tour had to "Tiger-proof" many of its courses to ensure they remained relevant.

The men in green jackets at Augusta National were horrified at the way he made their hallowed course look ordinary and vowed it would never happen again. New tees were built and holes were extended.

It is all a far cry from the golfer we witnessed hobbling around at the sport’s four majors in 2024. 

It is only five years since he turned the world upside down by capping a remarkable comeback with a 15th major title at The Masters. His career had been saved by pioneering back fusion surgery and we dared to believe that he might have more majors in the locker.

But then he nearly lost his life in a car crash. And it has all been a horrible struggle ever since.

He somehow managed to make the cut at The Masters but, in obvious discomfort, he finished last. This is not what he had in mind.

He missed the cut at the US PGA, the US Open and The Open. Before his appearance at Royal Troon, Colin Montgomerie called upon Woods to quit. Unsurprisingly, Woods was quick to put Monty in his place, saying that he would pick the time and place - and that he was not yet ready.

But how much more can he - and his battered body - really take?

The Hero World Challenge is effectively an exhibition tournament and if Woods is not fit to play there you begin to wonder what the future can possibly hold for him.

His press conference at the tournament, which he hosts, was depressing. He looked haggard and drawn. And, dare I say it, he looked old.

So where is he at?

Twelve months ago he predicted that he would play at least one tournament a month in 2024. He withdrew from the Genesis and played in the majors, but has not been seen on the course since limping away from Royal Troon after The Open.

So what happened?

He said: "I didn’t think my back was going to go like it did this year. The pain radiated down my leg and stopped responding to treatment. I truly don’t know about my schedule for 2025.

"This year was kind of - I had to toss it away. I wasn’t as sharp as I needed to be. I didn’t play as much as I needed to going into the major championships and I didn’t play well at them. Hopefully next year will be better, I’ll be physically stronger and better. I know the procedure helped and hopefully I can build upon that."

Even at his lowest ebb, Woods has always talked a good game. I hope against hope that I am wrong and that he will come back and treat us to just one more victory. But in my heart of hearts I cannot help but feel that his race is run.