Tiger Woods said he will not participate in the annual Hero World Challenge.
Jane Barlow | Getty Images
The golf world will have to wait at least a little longer to see Tiger Woods.
The 15-time major leaguer announced Monday evening that he will not compete in the Hero World Challenge, an event he hosts annually in the Bahamas, as he continues to recover from a Sept. 13 microdiscectomy.
“I’m disappointed that I won’t be able to compete in the Hero World Challenge, but I’m always looking forward to hosting the tournament and spending the week with @HeroMotoCorp,” he wrote on social media Monday evening. “Excited to welcome our release @JustinThomas34, @JDayGolf and @NickDunlap62 to the field.”
The Hero, scheduled for the first week in December, attracts the attention of the golf world every year because of its proximity to the Woods. Tiger serves as the host of the tournament and has used the event as a staging ground for various relaunches of the competition over the past decade.
Monday’s news indicated he is still recovering from back surgery that sidelined him on Sept. 13, the sixth spinal procedure since the fusion surgery that revitalized his competitive career in the late 2010s. Woods said in September that he hoped the latest surgery — a minimally invasive procedure to remove a herniated disc and pressure on nerves — would ease the “back aches and pains” he’s been experiencing throughout the 2024 season.
“I’m looking forward to rehab and getting ready to get back to normal life activities, including golf,” he said in a statement at the time.
His retirement from the field may disappoint golf fans, but it is not surprising. Woods is only 10 weeks removed from surgery, and the spinal torque required for the golf swing requires a bit of a rehabilitation process. He missed two months with a similar injury before his car accident in 2021 — a timeline that likely wouldn’t have been shortened to allow Woods to start a limited-field event.
Woods has played less in recent years, but has found himself a regular presence on the PGA Tour’s December schedule. He returned to Hero and competed in 2023, and has played for the past several years in the annual PNC tournament with his son, Charlie. Woods has yet to announce his intentions for the PNC, but he will be able to compete in the event in the comfort of a golf cart, a luxury unavailable to the Warrior.
Either way, though, golf fans won’t have to wait long to hear about the man himself. Tiger will still be present at the Hero World Challenge, and will give his annual press conference in his role as tournament host.
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