Woods Will Miss Hero

"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," Woods said. "I look forward to tackling this rehab and preparing myself to get back to normal life activities, including golf."

For Woods, soon to be 49 on December 30^th, playing competitive golf has been limited at best.

In 2024, Woods played in five events, making the cut in one of them, the Masters, finishing 60^th.

The other four were missed cuts at the PGA Championship, U.S. Open, Open Championship, and withdrew in the second round of the Genesis Invitational.

Since the start of 2020, Woods has played in 20 events, with one top 10 at the Farmers Insurance Open in January 2020 with a combination of eight missed cuts or withdrawals.

“I am disappointed that I will not be able to compete this year at the Hero World Challenge, but always look forward to being tournament host and spending the week with@HeroMotoCorp. Excited to welcome our exemptions@JustinThomas34, @JDayGolf and @NickDunlap62 into the field.” Woods wrote on his Twitter account on Monday, but as you read the words, the real question is how long will Woods tee it up in public.

Five back procedures in, and Woods needed a sixth. As you read between the lines, was the procedure allowing Woods to play more and better golf, or is it more for quality of life?

“I've been training a lot better, we've been busting it pretty hard in the gym, which has been good. Body's been feeling better to be able to do such things, and it translates on being able to hit the ball better,” Woods said in a pre-tournament press conference at the Open Championship in July. “Can't quite stay out there during a practice session as long as I'd like, but I'm able to do some things that I haven't done all year, which is nice.”

Woods missed the cut at Royal Troon and had his sixth procedure two months later.

It’s hard to know with Woods what to believe.

Reading between the lines is a habit for the media when Woods makes a statement or sits for an interview.

In the latest missive on Twitter or X, Woods talked nothing about his future in golf, specifically when and if he will play again or when.

So, now we speculate about if he will play with his son Charlie at the PNC Championship, where the two Woods have been a big hit in the past.

At the PNC, Woods can ride a cart, which may make the difference, but some of these questions will not be answered until next week.

Instead, we wait, as always, when discussing Woods.