Tiger Woods is set to return to the PNC Championship, teaming up with his 15-year-old son, Charlie, marking his first competition since the British Open in July and following a sixth back surgery three months ago.
Woods has participated in the 36-hole event alongside Charlie every year since 2020. The tournament invites major champions or Players Championship winners to play with a family member, often their children.
“Playing together is something we look forward to, and it’s always more special when you’re surrounded by friends and family,” Woods said.
The PNC Championship will be held Dec. 21-22 at the Ritz-Carlton Golf Club in Orlando, Florida, with 20 teams. New additions this year include Fred Couples and his stepson Hunter Hannemann, as well as Trevor Immelman and his son Jacob.
Because the tournament is sanctioned by PGA Tour Champions, Woods will be able to ride in a cart, a key factor in his participation. He chose to sit out last week’s Hero World Challenge in the Bahamas, where he is the tournament host because he said his game was not sharp enough to compete against a field of the top 40 players in the world.
Woods set a Masters record in April by making his 24th consecutive cut but missed the cut in the other three majors. He had a microdiscectomy in September to alleviate pain down his legs, his sixth surgery on his lower back.
The biggest procedure was fusion surgery in 2017, followed by winning the Tour Championship a year later and capturing his 15th major with a fifth Masters title in 2019. His last victory was the Zozo Championship in Japan in the fall of 2019, tying Sam Snead for the PGA Tour's record of 82 career titles.
But it remains unclear how often he will play in 2025.
“Whether my commitment going forward is once a month, yeah, I could say that all over again,” Woods said last week. “But I truly don’t know. I’m just trying to rehab, still get stronger and better, and feel better – really give myself the best chance I can going into next year.”
The PNC Championship also features 13-year-old Will McGee, the son of Annika Sorenstam, and 89-year-old Gary Player. Nelly Korda returns to play with her father, former tennis Grand Slam champion Petr Korda.
