Paul Azinger believes he feels obligated to do so. Bernhard Langer would love to compete against him once he’s eligible.
But will Tiger Woods, who turns 50 this December, choose to tee it up on the PGA Tour Champions once he’s eligible?
Ernie Els had a light-hearted message for the 15-time major champion about joining the senior circuit.
“Beat us again … if you can,” Els said when asked about Woods joining the Champions Tour at the groundbreaking for the Els Center of Excellence in Jupiter, Fla.
“I’ve said, please come play. And I think it can only be beneficial to him,” Els said, via The Palm Beach Post. “He will get himself in golf shape. You can ride a cart without any shame and if there was one guy that should be able to drive a cart, it’s him. … And he can get his ass back in shape.”
Woods has not made a PGA Tour start in 2025 after undergoing surgery to repair a ruptured Achilles in March. The 49-year-old Woods teed it up during the TGL season but has not made a PGA Tour start since he missed the cut at the 2024 Open Championship.
Back in January, Azinger said he believed Woods would tee it up on the senior circuit to pay back what the PGA Tour has given him.
“I think Tiger might even feel an obligation to play the Tour,” Azinger said. “The Tour has given Tiger a lot of money the last few years with that Player Impact Program. I’m sure he’s going to give back, and it’s going to be to the benefit of these guys out here that are over 50.”
Langer has 47 career wins on the Champions Tour. The two-time Masters champion doesn’t believe there’s any doubt that Woods will choose to compete on the senior circuit at some point.
“It would be a thrill to see Tiger come out and play the Champions Tour,” Langer said in January, “and I’m convinced he will play several. Depends how many.”
Langer and his son Jason played with Tiger and Charlie Woods at the PNC Championship last December, and wound up beating them in a playoff to win the event. Langer had one takeaway from playing the parent-child exhibition with Tiger. He’s not done competing.
“Tiger still loves the game. He’s still very competitive, and he enjoys watching his son get better and better at the game, and Charlie loves it, so I think he will stick with it,” Langer said.
While it’s unclear when, and if, Woods will play on the senior circuit, one legendary golfer believes that if he does, the story will be the same as it was when he was playing Els and Co. on the PGA Tour.
“I think Tiger will play the senior tour,” Jack Nicklaus said on Golf Channel’s “Golf Central” in 2024. “He’d be able to get in a cart, and he’ll absolutely kill everybody.”
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