The golf season is starting, but Tiger Woods is facing some challenges. He recently announced that he will not be playing in the Hero World Challenge, an event he hosts every year, due to a back surgery he had in September. Despite this, Woods confirmed that he will still fulfill his hosting duties at the tournament in the Bahamas.
Although missing the Hero World Challenge won’t affect Woods’ standings, it adds to a string of disappointing performances for the 48-year-old golfer. In the 2024 season, Woods participated in five tournaments, including all four majors, but only made the cut in two of them. He struggled at the PGA Championship, U.S. Open, and Open Championship, and finished last at the Masters.
Since the 2022 Masters, Woods has only competed in 10 events, with the Genesis Invitational being the only non-major tournament he played in. Unfortunately, he withdrew from that event as well. This has been a challenging period for Woods, as he has not been able to secure a top 20 finish in 14 majors since his 2019 Masters win. This is his longest streak without a top 20 finish since the beginning of his career in the mid-90s.
After missing the cut at Royal Troon, it was only the second time in his career that Woods missed three consecutive major cuts. In his last 36 majors, he has missed 13 cuts, with only six top 10 finishes and 13 finishes outside the top 20, along with two withdrawals.
Despite these recent struggles, Woods remains tied with Sam Snead for the most wins in tour history with 82 victories. His 15 majors also rank him second behind Jack Nicklaus’ 18. As Woods approaches his 49th birthday next month, fans are hopeful that he can overcome his current challenges and return to form on the golf course.
