Tiger Woods is still on the mend, but he is not closing the door on Augusta.
The 15-time major champion, recovering from back surgery last October, said Tuesday he has no firm timetable for his return yet has not ruled out playing in this year’s Masters.
Woods, who has not competed since missing the cut at the 2024 British Open, spoke to reporters ahead of the Genesis Invitational in Pacific Palisades, California, where he serves as tournament host. Asked whether the April 9-12 Masters was off the table, he paused and grinned.
"No,” Woods said.
The 48-year-old has endured a long rehabilitation stretch. In March 2025, he underwent surgery to repair a ruptured left Achilles tendon. Last December, he was cleared to resume chipping and putting for the first time since undergoing lumbar disc replacement surgery.
There is still no set date for his comeback, but the five-time Masters champion made one thing clear: Augusta remains a possibility.
As for his Achilles, Woods said it is no longer an issue, but his back remains sore.
"As far as the disc replacement, it’s just sore. It takes time,” Woods said. "My body has been through a lot. It’s just one of those things where it’s each and every day. I keep trying, I keep progressing, I keep working on it, trying to get stronger, trying to get more endurance in this body and trying to get it at a level at which I can play at the highest level again.”
Despite not having competed since July 2024, Woods has been keeping busy as a PGA Tour policy board player-director and as vice chairman of PGA Tour Enterprises.
The 48-year-old is also trying to decide whether to take on more responsibility after he said the PGA of America asked for his input on the 2027 Ryder Cup captaincy and whether he would want the job.
"Yeah, they have asked me for my input on it, and I haven’t made my decision yet,” Woods said Tuesday. "I’m trying to figure out what we’re trying to do with our tour.
"That’s been driving me hours upon hours every day and trying to figure out if I can actually do our team, Team USA, and our players and everyone that’s going to be involved in the Ryder Cup, if I can do it justice with my time.”
Woods turned down the U.S. captaincy for the 2025 Ryder Cup because of time constraints and responsibilities to the PGA Tour but added at the time that it did not mean he would never lead the team in the future.