Tiger Woods could tee it up again later this year, caddie reveals

Tiger Woods said last week at the British Open that he isn’t retiring but also that he has “nothing” planned for the immediate future.

“Zero,” Woods told reporters. “Maybe something next year. I don’t know. But nothing in the near future. This is it. I was just hoping to play this one event this year.”

But on Thursday, Woods’ longtime caddie, Joe LaCava, shed more light on the 15-time major champion’s future schedule.

LaCava revealed that he hopes Woods will play “three, maybe four” tournaments before next year’s Masters in April, beginning with the Hero World Challenge in December, which Woods hosts. Should the plan come to fruition, Woods will then compete later that month with his son, Charlie, at the PNC Championship for a second straight year as well as the Genesis Invitational in February.

LaCava outlined the itinerary in an appearance on The Dan Patrick Show Thursday morning.

“I’ll say, ‘Hey, Tiger, listen. If you’re starting to feel better, maybe in October, November, maybe I’ll come down [to Florida] for a couple weeks, we’ll hang out,’” said LaCava, who lives in Connecticut. “‘We don’t have to play every day, we don’t have to practice every day. I’ll be there and maybe give you a little motivation. We’ll go down and play and practice a little bit here and there to get ready for the Hero and get ready for the following year of 2023.’ 

“We’ll get him ready in any respect that he needs.” 

Woods, 46, has made a miraculous recovery from a horrific, single-car accident in February 2021 in which he nearly lost his right leg. He played in three of the year’s four majors this season, finishing 47th at the Masters, withdrawing from the PGA Championship after making the cut and most recently missing the cut at the British Open.