Has Tiger Woods retired? Availability and fitness of legendary US golfer explored as he's seen caddying for son Charlie Woods
Tiger Woods has not officially retired from golf but he has been away from the greens for quite some time now. The 15-time major champion last played at Masters in April but withdrew after making the cut.
Woods has been making headlines after he was spotted playing with his son Charlie Woods last month. As evident in the videos shared on the internet, he was seen fine walking without any support.
Last week, Woods accompanied his son as his caddie at the National Junior Championship. Fans are anxiously waiting for the return of the golfer. However, he has been working on his recovery and might make a comeback later this year.
The 47-year-old golfer has taken new responsibility for the PGA Tour. After the Tour merged with the controversial LIV Golf, Woods was appointed as a player director to the circuit's Policy Board.
Although Tiger Woods is away from the golf course, he is closely working with the management team. Earlier this year when he withdrew from the Masters, TV presenter Michael A. Smith spoke about Tiger Woods' retirement.
In a conversation on ESPN's First Take, Michael said that Woods should call it quits.
“I watched him limping on the course before he bowed out on Sunday, and I was thankful he bowed out," said Smith.
“... I think it is time for him to call it quits. I know Phil Mickelson is aged 52, but the bottom line is Phil Mickelson's body hasn't been through what Tiger Woods' body has been through," he added.
"He’ll be in communication" - US Ryder Cup captain Zach Johnson on Tiger Woods ' involvement at the biennial tournament
The 12 best American players will be heading for the Ryder Cup this week. The tournament will start on Friday, September 29, and will run through the weekend to have its finale on Sunday, October 1, in Rome Italy.
However, Tiger Woods will not be the part of team this year. Nonetheless, he will be there to cheer for his countrymen and help them if needed.
Earlier this month, US Ryder Cup skipper Zach Johnson spoke about Tiger Woods's involvement at the tournament. In his interview with Golf Week, Johnson said that Woods would be involved in the game through communication.
Speaking about the 15-time Major champion, Johnson said:
"Well, he’s been involved throughout. Just communication, whether it’s a text here or text there. We can bounce things off him if we desire. At the same time, what’s happened as of late, he’s even voiced it: he’s like, 'hey, once tournament week comes, I don’t need much.'"
"He’s like ‘if you need me to look at something, so be it.’ But at the same time, we really haven’t done that, because there’s so much of our work we get done before the week. But he’ll be in communication, whether it’s FaceTime or text," he added.
Tiger Woods will hopefully return to compete at the 2023 PNC Championship, which will take place in December.