Tiger says ankle feels good, hopes to play a tournament per month in 2024
Tiger Woods feels optimistic about his health entering the 2024 season.
"I think the best scenario would be maybe a tournament a month," Woods said ahead of this week's Hero World Challenge. "I think that's realistic."
Woods already committed to playing the PNC Championship with his 14-year-old son, Charlie, in December. He noted the Genesis Invitational in February and The Players Championship in March as other possibilities before major championship season begins in April.
The 47-year-old only played in two PGA TOUR tournaments during the 2022-23 campaign - the Genesis Invitational, in which he finished tied for 45th, and the Masters, where he was forced to withdraw due to his ailing ankle. He underwent surgery on his ankle shortly thereafter and hasn't played competitively since.
Woods said his ankle feels strong now. The rest of his body is a different story, though.
"I don't have any of the ankle pain that I had with the hardware that has been placed in my foot. That's all gone," he said. "But it's the other parts of my body. My knee hurts, my back. The forces go somewhere else."
Woods added that he isn't concerned about the physical toll of walking 90 holes at the Hero World Challenge (72 for the tournament, plus 18 for Wednesday's pro-am).
While his game feels rusty due to the time away from competitive golf, Woods "absolutely" thinks he has a chance to win the tournament.
He'll have someone new on his bag, however, as friend and business partner Rob McNamara will caddie for him this week. Tiger's previous caddie, Joe LaCava, received Woods' blessing to leave for a full-time job with Patrick Cantlay in May. Woods said he isn't sure who will caddie for him going forward.
"I don't think Charlie will be able to caddie - he can't play hooky that often," Woods said.
Tiger also discussed his new role as player director of the PGA TOUR policy board. He said part of the reason he joined in August was the surprising merger between the PGA TOUR and PIF in June.
"I was frustrated by the fact that the players were never involved," he said. "This is our TOUR. ... We were all taken aback by it. And it happened so quickly without any of our involvement. No one knew. That can't happen again."