Tiger Woods Now Has Perfect Retirement Schedule

When Tiger Woods crossed the iconic Golfers' Bridge over the Swilcan Burn at The 150th Open in 2022, the 15-time major champion was emotional at the thought that it could be his final experience of competing at St Andrews, where he had twice lifted the Claret Jug.

After being serenaded by the massed gallery on the 18th hole, Woods commented: "It's very emotional for me. I've been coming here since 1995. I think the next one comes around in 2030 so and I don't know if I will be physically able to play by then. To me it felt like this might have been my last Open here at St Andrews."

Now that The R&A has just announced that The 155th Open will be staged at the spiritual Home of Golf in 2027, that timeline has perhaps shifted for Woods, giving the legendary American a more realistic opportunity to make another - potentially final - appearance at The Old Course.

(Image Credit: Kevin Diss Photography)

Having battled a litany of physical issues in recent years, not least the aftermath of his near-fatal car crash in 2021, Woods has struggled to put together any semblance of a competitive schedule. Last season, he just entered the four majors and the Genesis Invitational, only successfully completing 72-holes at The Masters, where he finished last of those who made the cut.

We don't know exactly what his plans are for the future, but given what we've seen since the accident, his days of playing in major championships are surely numbered, and he may now have the perfect opportunity to walk away from the game - on his terms - should he wish to do so.

2027 will mark 30 years since Woods' historic, dominant breakthrough victory at The Masters, while the US Open will be staged at Pebble Beach that June, where he played arguably the best golf that anyone has ever seen when clinching America's national championship by 15 strokes in 2000. Later that summer, he won the first of his two St Andrews Opens (winning by 12), with his second triumph in Fife coming in 2005. 

(Image Credit: Kevin Diss Photography)

Augusta National, Pebble Beach, St Andrews, when we think of Tiger Woods and his greatest moments, these are the venues that spring instantly to mind, making 2027 ideally placed for a farewell tour of sorts, should he feel the timing is right.

Woods would be five months shy of his 52nd birthday when The Open concludes at St Andrews that year, but only he can say if the moment is there for him to step aside from the majors. There would be no grander or more fitting stage for that to happen than The Old Course.