Tiger Woods to compete for first time since back surgery at PNC Championship with son

By Wayne Sterling, CNN

(CNN) — Tiger Woods is set to return to golf for the first time since having back surgery three months ago, the PGA Tour announced Tuesday.

Woods and his son, Charlie, will participate at the PNC Championship in Orlando next week.

This will be the fifth time Team Woods will play at the two-day, 36-hole competition that features 20 major champions and their family members.

“I’m very excited to head back to the PNC Championship next week with Charlie,” the 15-time major winner said in a statement. “Playing together is something we look forward to and it’s always more special when you’re surrounded by friends and family.”

The father and son finished tied for fifth at last year’s event as Bernhard Langer and his son, Jason, were victors at the 2023 tournament.

Woods has not played since The Open Championship in July and the recent back problem continues the 48-year-old’s struggles with injuries, with the golf star saying that “the body just won’t recover like it used to.”

Last week, Woods said at the tournament he hosts — The Hero World Challenge in the Bahamas — that he’s “got a long way to go” before he can make a return to professional golf but insisted the “fire still burns to compete.”

The PNC Championship takes place from December 21-22 at the Ritz-Carlton Golf Club Orlando, Grande Lakes in Florida.

The-CNN-Wire
™ & © 2024 Cable News Network, Inc., a Warner Bros. Discovery Company. All rights reserved.