The 15-time major champion had stunned the golf world in March when he revealed he had ruptured his left Achilles, requiring surgery and sparking concerns over whether he could continue playing.
Those fears were eased with Monday’s announcement confirming Woods will captain Jupiter Links GC, the team he leads, and compete at SoFi Stadium.
Jupiter Links opens its season on January 13 against New York Golf Club, with another highlight on March 1 when Woods faces off against McIlroy, whose Boston Common team will take on Jupiter Links at SoFi Center in Florida.
TGL’s second season officially begins on December 28, when reigning champions Atlanta Drive GC meet New York Golf Club in a rematch of last year’s final.
For Woods, Jupiter Links’ opener could mark his first competitive appearance since TGL’s inaugural season ended on March 4, when his team missed the playoffs. He could appear even earlier if he and his 16-year-old son Charlie continue their tradition of competing in the PNC Championship family exhibition in December.
Outside the TGL format, Woods has not played at Tour level since The Open Championship in July 2024. His extended layoff followed back surgery and a withdrawal from the Genesis Invitational in February after the death of his mother.
Last December, Woods returned to competition at the PNC Championship alongside Charlie, following a September back procedure—his sixth spinal surgery in ten years—known as microdecompression surgery of the lumbar spine.
Woods, an 82-time PGA Tour winner, has also battled significant injuries from a severe single-vehicle crash in 2021 that broke his right leg and ankle, requiring emergency surgery. Further ankle surgery in 2023 addressed lingering issues that forced him to withdraw from that year’s Masters.
Earlier this year, while preparing for another comeback at home in Florida, Woods experienced a sharp pain in his left heel, later revealing on social media that he had undergone Achilles surgery and was expected to make a full recovery.
