Tiger Woods will make his return to tournament action in one of the most prestigious and exclusive events in world golf, but it is not on the PGA Tour.
Woods will tee it up in the Seminole Pro-Member at Seminole Golf Club in Juno Beach, Florida on Monday in a field that is arguably stronger than this weekend’s Cognizant Classic down the road in Palm Beach Gardens, and he is paired with one of the most vocal critics of LIV Golf, Seth Waugh.
Woods is in the 7.47am ET tee time, playing alongside his close friend Justin Thomas and his tech billionaire partner Mike Walrath. It will be Woods’ return to competitive golf after withdrawing from the Genesis Invitational at Riviera Country Club in Los Angeles on February 16 through illness.
It remains unclear if Woods, 48, will play in the Arnold Palmer Invitational next week. The tournament at Bay Hill is one of the most historic on the PGA Tour, with Woods winning it a record eight times. Woods is yet to declare his intention to play and it seems likely he will not play on tour again until The Players at TPC Sawgrass in March.
Davis Love III famously described the Seminole Pro-Member as “the first major of the year”, with dozens of top pros joining businessmen, PGA Tour executives and a slew of celebrities at one of America’s best courses. Goldman Sachs executive Mark Flaherty and world number six Patrick Cantlay are the reigning champions.
