Tiger Woods commits to compete in the PNC Championship next week

Just days after Tiger Woods said we’ll see if he competes this month, he’s in. He and his son Charlie will compete together next week at the PNC Championship, the annual family team event in Orlando.

Woods made this first statement during Sunday’s broadcast of his tournament, the Hero World Challenge, in which he did not play. Woods admitted a week ago that he was “not yet tournament fit,” which prevented him from playing in the Bahamas.

“I’m still not there,” Woods said. “These are 20 of the best players in the world and I’m not smart enough to compete against them at this level. So if I’m ready to compete and play at that level, then I will.”

For Woods, this is the main difference: this level. Competing on a tour-level golf course against elite pros, some of whom are half his age, is a lot different than competing at a parent-child exhibition in Florida. The event is technically a Champions Tour event and allows Woods to ride in a golf cart, reducing the strain on his body. Just three months ago, Woods had to undergo back surgery again due to “nerve impairment” in his lower back.

That September operation was followed by a frustrating campaign in 2024, which Woods ultimately described as a “lost year” at his pre-Hero press conference. “I had to throw (this year) away,” Woods said, alluding to the significant back pain he dealt with over the summer. Woods struggled with nerve pain running down his leg throughout his career. Much of that was eliminated by his famous spinal fusion surgery, which allowed him to get healthy, compete in more than a few competitions a year, and ultimately win the 2019 champions.

Although much has changed in the five years since that moment, Woods is not going away. This is evident through his PNC involvement as well as his involvement in the upcoming simulator golf league called TGL, where he will play on Mondays and Tuesday nights on ESPN in January, February and March. You can find the entire TGL schedule here.

This will be Tiger and Charlie’s fourth time competing together at the PNC, an event Woods said they look forward to every year. “(This event) only deepens the bond between father and son,” Woods said in 2022. “It’s been incredible to be able to share that stage and that atmosphere with him over the years.”

It’s a return to playing golf in front of a very low-stakes crowd, but one that Woods often does with a larger-than-usual smile on his face. The PNC is a two-day event where teams include a major champion (or player champion) and a family member. Nelly Korda plays with her father Petr. Lee Trevino plays with his son Daniel. Last year’s tournament was won by Bernhard Langer and his son Jason. Teams play in a scramble format over 36 holes, with professionals and amateurs often playing from different tees depending on their abilities. However, as 15-year-old Charlie has developed his skills over the years, he has moved backwards and in 2023 is playing the same tees as Steve Stricker, Vijay Singh and many of his father’s greatest rivals from decades ago.