Tiger Woods expected to make long-awaited return to golf in December after more than two years out
Tiger Woods could finally make his long-awaited return to golf on December 27, when the new season of TGL gets underway.
The 15-time major winner has not played a professional event since he missed the cut at The Open in 2024 at Royal Troon due to injury problems and his DUI arrest in Florida in March.
But, according to ESPN, Woods is expected to play for his Jupiter Links Golf Club when they take on Los Angeles Golf Club as part of an opening-day doubleheader to be broadcast on ABC.
If Woods returns in time for TGL season three, he will be teaming up with Max Homa, Tom Kim, Akshay Bhatia and the newly-acquired Keith Mitchell.
Woods only played one match in season two, because of another back surgery, and returned in time for the TGL Finals where his team lost to Los Angeles.
A return will depend on whether Woods suffers any injury setbacks between now and then but he has been pictured ramping up his preparations in recent weeks.
Tiger Woods could make his return to golf on December 27, when the new season of TGL starts
Woods, pictured at Liberty National in New Jersey in September, has been ramping up recently
Golf fans could also see him return sooner than December 27 if he decides to play in the Hero World Challenge, a tournament he hosts in the Bahamas between December 3-6.
The 50-year-old could also line up alongside son Charlie in the PNC Championship in Orlando between December 17-20.
Woods, who is dating Vanessa Trump, was filmed hitting balls at Monterey Peninsula Country Club earlier this month and Liberty National in September, hinting that he may be close to a return to playing competitively again.
Friend and fellow pro Kevin Kisner dropped the biggest hint that Woods is ready to return after he was dumped by the golf icon’s TGL team ahead of the new season.
Speaking on Barstool’s Foreplay podcast last week, Kisner said: ‘Well, obviously, I’m not on the team anymore. I had a two-year contract with Jupiter Links and then they, Tiger wants to play. Then they wanted to sign Keith Mitchell, which is totally fine with me.
‘I’m sure I’ll still be involved in some sort of fashion at some point. Go down there and do some stuff for them. You know, the Bad News Bears are still going to be a part of my life, and hopefully they continue to win.’
Kisner continued: ‘Rob [McNamara], Tiger’s guy, he text me a long text last week, I think. Just telling me what they did on their decisions, how they were moving around and what players were going to do and that Tiger wanted to play a full schedule….’
In September, Woods pleaded no contest to the charges stemming from the DUI back in late March and struck a deal with prosecutors which will see the golfer banned from driving for five years.
Last month, Woods pleaded no contest to charges stemming from his DUI back in late March
Kai Trump shared a photo of Tiger and Trump celebrating her mother’s all-clear from cancer
Woods was closing in on a return to golf and was widely expected to compete at The Masters in the days before the crash.
As he closes in on a return to golf, Woods’ relationship with Vanessa is reportedly ‘stronger than ever,’ with the couple even said to be considering taking their romance to the next level.
The couple, who were first revealed to be dating by the Daily Mail in March 2025, have endured a challenging year. As well as Woods’ DUI, Vanessa revealed publicly in April that she had been diagnosed with breast cancer.
Yet, their challenges have seemingly brought the loved-up pair closer together with Woods and Trump having discussed marriage, according to Page Six.
‘They’re very serious about each other and absolutely see a future together,’ a source told the outlet. ‘Marriage is something they’ve talked about, but that doesn’t mean a proposal is necessarily around the corner.
‘Going through difficult times together has brought them closer and shown them that they can count on one another,’ the insider added. ‘It’s one thing to enjoy the good times together, but they’ve also seen how the other person handles things when life gets difficult.
‘They’ve both been through a lot this past year and have really leaned on each other.’
Woods was recently pictured with his girlfriend, her daughter Kai and son Donny with the bell she rang to mark getting the all clear from cancer beneath a ‘congratulations’ banner.
