Tiger Woods confirms unexpected golf return ahead of The Masters

Tiger Woods has finally confirmed that he is set to return to golf just weeks before the Masters tees off.

Golf legend Woods has not featured on the PGA Tour since July 2024 and underwent back surgery last October, casting doubt on when, or if, he would return to the course.

The 50-year-old has been regularly involved with his Jupiter Links Golf Club this year, but opted for a non-playing role to instead spend the last five months recovering for the surgery.

With The Masters, perhaps the biggest competition on the golf calendar, rapidly approaching, anticipation surrounding Woods' potential return is higher than ever.

And now, it has finally been confirmed that he is stepping back onto the course on Tuesday evening in a must-win SoFi Cup Finals match-up against Los Angeles Golf Club in the TGL indoor golf league.

Woods missed the opening match in the best-of-three series, which saw Los Angeles Golf Club claim a 6-5 win, but will step in to replace Kevin Kisner for Tuesday's season finale.

Confirming the news on social media, the TGL referenced Michael Jordan's iconic NBA return, with an image Woods mid-swing, simply writing: "He's back."

Woods, alongside teammates Max Homa and Tom Kim will face Tommy Fleetwood, Justin Rose and Sahith Theegala, with a win needed in order to force a season decider later in the evening.

Could Woods feature at The Masters this year?

Woods' return to competitive golf comes just two weeks before the Masters tees off at Augusta National on April 9.

But it is yet to be confirmed if the five-time winner's return at the TGL will mean that he is fully fit and ready to compete at the Masters.

When asked last week about his chances of teeing off at Augusta, Woods remained coy, saying: "I said I've been working on it. Sometimes I have good days, sometimes I have bad days. Disk replacement is not a lot of fun.

"So as I said, I've had a lot of procedures prior to that, so the body doesn't quite heal like it was when I was 24. Doesn't quite bounce back. So I have good days when I can pretty much do anything, and other days where it's hard to just to move around."

However, the official Masters website has further sparked speculation around Woods' participation after the bio on Woods' tournament page was updated.

It now reads: "Tiger Woods is making his 27th Masters start in 2026."