Will Tiger Woods be at the Zozo Championship this weekend? Golfer’s availability after latest spotting explored

Last week, Tiger Woods was spotted playing golf at The Hay, a golf course at Pebble Beach, California. He played a few holes with his son, Charlie, at the TGR Jr. Invitational.

Woods was not in his usual Nike attire but was wearing a 'Call of Duty' hoodie and still had his injured right knee covered with a compression stocking. Despite being seen playing golf recently, he is not expected to compete in this week's 2023 Zozo Championship.

Although Woods has resumed hitting some balls on the golf course, he is still not fit enough to participate in a full-fledged professional event any time soon. For those who might not be aware, he underwent subtalar fusion surgery in April after withdrawing from the final round of the Masters.

Woods won the inaugural Zozo Championship in 2019, defeating Hideki Matsuyama by a three-stroke margin. It was his most recent professional victory.

The Zozo Championship is scheduled to take place from Thursday, October 19, to Sunday, October 22, at Golf Narashino Country Club in Chiba, Japan. Sixteen of the top 50-ranked golfers will be participating in the fourth event of the fall season.

The field at the Zozo Championship will feature players such as defending champion Keegan Bradley, along with the likes of Collin Morikawa, Xander Schauffele, Hideki Matsuyama, Sungjae Im and Rickie Fowler.

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When will Tiger Woods play next? The golfer's upcoming schedule explored

According to some reports, the wait for the 47-year-old golfer's return may not be very long. According to Golf Channel's Todd Lewis, the legendary golfer might make his comeback next month at the Hero World Challenge, an event hosted by the veteran himself.

Tiger Woods has won the Hero World Challenge five times in his career, with his last victory coming in 2011, when the event was known as the Chevron World Challenge. He defeated Zach Johnson by a one-stroke margin.

The field for the upcoming Hero World Challenge was unveiled on Monday, October 16. The field consists of the biggest names in golf, including:

1. Scottie Scheffler
2. Viktor Hovland
3. Patrick Cantlay
4. Xander Schauffele
5. Max Homa
6. Matt Fitzpatrick
7. Brian Harman
8. Wyndham Clark
9. Jordan Spieth
10. Cameron Young
11. Keegan Bradley
12. Collin Morikawa
13. Tony Finau
14. Sam Burns
15. Jason Day
16. Sepp Straka
17. Will Zalatoris
18. Rickie Fowler
19. Justin Thomas

However, one spot has been kept reserved for a later addition, presumably for Woods himself. Surprisingly, Jon Rahm's name is absent from the announced list, and he might be the 20th name on the list if Woods isn't fit enough to play.

The Hero World Challenge will be played from Thursday, November 30 to Sunday, December 3 at Albany in the Bahamas. The purse size for the event is $3.5 million and the winner gets $1 million.

Viktor Hovland is the two-time defending champion at Albany. Last year, he beat Scottie Scheffler by a two-stroke margin to defend his title. He is once again the favorite to win this year after having a remarkable finish to the regular PGA Tour season.

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