Tiger Woods will not compete at the Hero World Challenge in December, with the 15-time major champion confirming his decision to make his return to the PGA Tour

Tiger Woods has made it known that he won’t be making a return to play at the Hero World Challenge next month, his ongoing injury struggles persisting.

Although Woods hosts the exclusive Bahamian event and was expected to swing into action at Albany Golf Course amongst some of the world’s top-tier golfers, the 15-time major winner announced on Monday that he would not participate in any playing capacity and instead fulfil only off-course responsibilities.

“I am disappointed that I will not be able to compete this year at the Hero World Challenge,” he shared via social media. “But always look forward to being tournament host and spending the week with @HeroMotoCorp.”

Tiger Woods will not play the Hero (Image: Getty Images)

Notably, Tiger’s dear mate, Justin Thomas will grace the greens, as will Jason Day and first-timer at the Hero World Challenge, Nick Dunlap. This is another setback for Woods, whose physical woes have relegated him to sporadic appearances on the PGA Tour.

The 48 year old golf superstar made it to all four major tournaments this year, including the Genesis Invitational in February, where illness led him to bow out in the second round.

On the grand stage, Tiger Woods has only completed all four rounds at a major once this year, which was at the Masters. He didn’t make it past the cut at the PGA Championship, US Open, and most notably The Open Championship.

At Royal Troon, he struggled against harsh weather conditions on the Scottish coast and didn’t qualify for the weekend play.

After his early exit in July, Woods expressed plans to compete in the Bahamas come December, followed by the PNC Championship with his son the subsequent week. “I’m not going to play until then,” Woods stated in Scotland when questioned about playing before the Hero World Challenge.

“I’m going to just keep getting physically better and keep working on it. Hopefully just come back for our — what is it, our fifth major, the Father-Son, so looking forward to it.”

With Woods pulling out of the event in the Bahamas, it’s uncertain if he will join his son Charlie at the PNC. Should he skip the parent-𝘤𝘩𝘪𝘭𝘥 tournament, his next appearance is expected to be indoors, representing Jupiter Links Golf Club at the inaugural TGL in January.

In September, the golf icon disclosed that he had another back surgery.

“The surgery went smoothly and I’m hopeful this will help alleviate the back spasms and pain I was experiencing throughout most of the 2024 season,” he posted on social media. “I look forward to tackling this rehab and preparing myself to get back to normal life activities, including golf.”