"He wants to play the senior tour" - Jack Nicklaus gives major update on Tiger Woods' future plans
Tiger Woods is 47 years old now and he is not getting any younger. Although he has said that he would like to continue playing on the Tour, the question arises will he play beyond 50? Or will he switch to the Senior Tour after that? No one knows at the moment and one can only speculate. However, golf veteran Jack Nicklaus has indicated that Tiger might still be around after December 2025, the month he'll turn 50.
Nicklaus was the guest in Nick Faldo’s podcast episode, 'Sir Nick Roundtable Chats' where they both talked about Tiger's struggles to walk. Nicklaus suggested that Tiger should use a cart. Senior Tour players are allowed to use a cart. For the PGA Tour, anyone with a disability can use it, but they need to apply for it.
“I told him, ‘Tiger, you’re eligible to take a cart.’ He says, ‘I’m not going to do that.' He says, 'When I get to the senior tour, I will,’” Nicklaus said on Faldo’s podcast.
Faldo then asked a follow-up question if Tiger was thinking of playing after 50.
“He wants to play the senior tour,” replied the 18-time Major champion.
Woods can certainly do that now, but he refuses to use the cart. He has admitted his apprehension towards the use of the cart earlier as well.
Tiger was last seen at the Genesis Invitational, where he finished in T-45. He displayed some good shots and outdrove the likes of Justin Thomas and Rory McIlroy in a few of them. It's still a great feat considering he almost escaped death after a horrific car accident a couple of years ago.
Since his accident, there has been a gradual process of recovery for the 15-time Major champion as he has played only a few tournaments in the last two years. In the last two years, Tiger has been seen in four official PGA Tour events, including the Masters, PGA Championship, Open Championship in 2022, and the Genesis Invitational last month.
Tiger Woods' upcoming schedule
Tiger Woods was last seen playing at the Genesis Invitational, where he posted two 60s and two 70s to finish tied for 45th place at the Riviera Golf Club. He seemed fine despite being out of competitive golf for so long.
The 82-time winner on the PGA Tour skipped The Players Championship and will now compete at the Masters Championship, the first major of the year. He made it clear at Riviera Golf Club that his primary focus will be on playing all four Majors and that will be his schedule moving forward.
Woods is eyeing Jack Nicklaus' record of 18 major wins and he seems very motivated by that. Nicklaus holds the record for the most wins at the Masters (six times). Tiger has won five times at Augusta National (1997, 2001, 2002, 2005, and 2019), most recently being the 2019 victory, his last Major victory.
It will be interesting to see how he approaches his favorite tournament this time. Despite being restricted by injuries, one can never count a legend like Tiger Woods out.