Woods will keep “trying” to make Masters comeback

Tiger Woods

Tiger Woods has yet to make up his mind about playing in the Masters but he insists he will keep “trying” to make his competitive return at Augusta National in three weeks.

The 15-time major winner played for Jupiter Links in a 9-2 defeat that gave the Los Angeles Golf Club the SoFiCup at the TGL indoor simulator league he founded with Rory McIlroy.

“As I said, I've been trying,” Woods said last night. “Just this body is -- it doesn't recover like it did when it was 24, 25. 

“It doesn't mean I'm not trying. I've been trying for a while. I've had a couple of bad injuries here over the past years that I've had to fight through, and it's taken some time.

“But I keep trying. I want to play. I love the tournament. 

“I've loved being there since I was 19 years old. It's meant a lot to me and my family over the years. 

“I'm going to be there either way with The Loop [the new 9-hole course Woods has designed in partnership with Augusta National, part of the renovated Augusta Municipal Golf Course called "The Patch"] that's going up there, as well as the Champions Dinner.”

The five-time Masters winner was asked whether he'd wait until the Friday before the Masters before making his decision.

“I don't know, we'll see how it goes,” he said. “I'll be practising, playing at home this week and keep trying to make progress.”

He said he felt no ill effects from last night’s TGL match, which was his first time playing since he ruptured his Achilles tendon in March 2025 and then had a seventh back surgery in October.

His last tour appearance came in the 2024 Open Championship at Royal Troon, where he missed the cut.

“Feels fine physically,” Woods said. “It was just interesting the shots because usually you have more of a rhythm when you're actually playing a normal round of golf, hitting shots. 

“Here it feels like I'm getting iced a bit at times. It's just a different rhythm. 

“It's like when you play Ryder Cup or Presidents Cups and you play in foursomes. Some matches you just don't hit a putt for like 10, 11 holes and all of a sudden you've got to make a three-footer. That's kind of what it feels like here.

“I had a couple drives I had to hit and then a couple putts. It was just -- for me, it was different because I haven't really done this. 

“I've been watching these guys do it. They make it look easy. I haven't done it in a while. It was a lot of fun, though, to be a part of it.”