Tiger Woods has not signed up for the Valspar Championship, which has asked major questions of his next appearance.
Tiger Woods withdrew from The Genesis Invitational after dealing with an illness (Image: Photo by Sean M. Haffey/Getty Images)
Tiger Woods has made a surprising decision that could impact his 2024 season. The golfing superstar didn’t sign up for the Valspar Championship, hinting that he might next appear at the Masters in mid-April.
Unless he makes an unexpected appearance at the Houston Open later this month – something he’s never done before – it seems likely that the 48 year old will skip all March competitions to get ready for the Master at Augusta National. This move breaks from his earlier plan set out for the season.
In December 2023, Woods said his 2024 goal was to play in one tournament each month to regain his form after a serious leg injury from a 2021 car crash in California. “Once a month seems reasonable,” he told the Golf channel.
Tiger Woods will most likely compete in the Masters next, at Augusta National in April (Image: Photo by Ronald Martinez/Getty Images)
“It gives me a couple of weeks to recover and a week to tune up. Maybe I can get into the rhythm.”
Woods seemed to be on track when he signed up and competed in The Genesis Invitational in February. But his comeback was halted when he had to pull out of the event in the second round due to what he called the flu, reports the Mirror.
“I would like to confirm that I had to withdraw from @thegenesisinv due to illness, which we now know is influenza,” he posted.
“I am resting and feeling better. Good luck to the players this weekend. I’m disappointed to not be there and want to thank @GenesisUSA and all the fans for the support.”
Woods also was absent from The Players Championship at TPC Sawgrass, after also deciding not to partake in the Arnold Palmer Invitational. The Players initially was one of the events that Woods had planned to participate in, but that was not the case.
“I think that the best scenario would be maybe a tournament a month. I think that’s realistic,” he said in December. “You would have to start with maybe at Genesis and then something in March near the Players.
“Again, we have it set up right now the biggest events are one per month. It sets itself up for that. Now, I need to get myself ready for all that. I think this week is a big step in that direction.”
With so many injury concerns, many golf fans have pondered Woods’ future on the tour. PGA Tour Commissioner Jay Monahan offered an insight into the legendary golfer’s status and what the rest of the year could hold for Woods.
“I think you all know Tiger well enough to know that he wants to earn his way into every competition. That’s his makeup,” Monahan said if he would introduce a special category for past champions to participate.
He added: “But I think as you go forward, as you evolve as an organization, you think about how do you serve and satisfy a rabid fan base?
“Those discussions, more broadly, would likely be held at the policy board meeting. And I’m sure we would have that discussion. But he’d be the hardest one to convince.”
