Tiger Woods will be able to compete in the PGA Tour Champions next year, and the 49-year-old golf icon has been sent a fresh message by British hero Colin Montgomerie
Tiger Woods is eligible to compete on the PGA Tour Champions in 2026(Image: Zac Goodwin/PA Wire)
Colin Montgomerie has backed Tiger Woods to be a success if the golf legend were to compete on the Champions Tour. Woods has not competed in a Tour event since the 2024 Open Championship at Royal Troon, where the 15-time major champion missed the cut.
Injuries have severely restricted Woods’ time on the golf course in recent years, with the 49-year-old undergoing surgery to replace a disc in his back just last month. The 2019 Masters champion is targeting a return to professional golf next year, but there are still doubts over whether Woods can return to the top of the sport as he did in the past.
With Woods turning 50 in December, he would then be eligible to take part on the PGA Tour Champions circuit starting from next year. There have already been rumours that Woods could compete on the tour next year once he returns from injury.
READ MORE: Rory McIlroy fires shot at LIV Golf over contracts carnage in £4.5billion warningREAD MORE: Big names lose PGA Tour cards by finishing outside top 100 but all is not lost
Montgomerie, the 2010 Ryder Cup-winning captain for Team Europe, has welcomed the possibility of Woods competing on the PGA Tour Champions circuit next year.
“I think it would be super for the [PGA Tour Champions] if Tiger is able to play. Great for sponsors, TV, etc,” said Montgomerie this week, via reporter Garrett Johnston.
“And we will all begin our rounds looking for his name on the board. Where is he? Do we have a chance? Hopefully we do, but maybe not.”
Montgomerie’s comments come more than a year after the 62-year-old questioned Woods’ ability to compete on the professional circuit.
Colin Montgomerie has backed Tiger Woods to star on the PGA Tour Champions(Image: Mike Mulholland/Getty Images)
“I hope people remember Tiger as Tiger was, the passion and the charismatic aura around him,” Montgomerie told The Times last year.
“There is none of that now. At Pinehurst, he did not seem to enjoy a single shot, and you think, ‘What the hell is he doing?’ He’s coming to Troon and he won’t enjoy it there either.”
With Woods not participating in a Tour event in more than a year, the five-time Masters champion has dropped to his lowest ranking since turning professional in the 1990s. Woods currently stands at No.2375 in the Official World Golf Rankings (OWGR), and continues to slide down the rankings during his time on the sidelines recovering from injury.
It remains to be seen if Woods will compete on the PGA Tour Champions next year or make his return to the PGA Tour for the 2026 season.
Woods may have an eye on taking part in the Masters at Augusta National in 2026, where the golf icon will be able to compete due to being a past champion with his five green jackets.
