Rahm Accepts PGA Tour Ban to Quit LIV Golf.

Tiger Woods’ Comeback Hopes Get Major Boost From PGA Tour Champions Star.

A two-time Charles Schwab Cup champion has offered an encouraging assessment of the 15-time major champion’s potential return to competitive golf.

Steven Alker discussed Woods’ future during a November 2 media session at Phoenix Country Club.

Speaking with Golfweek’s Todd Kelly, Alker suggested there has been discussion among PGA Tour Champions players about Woods eventually joining the circuit.

“He wants to come out and play,” Alker said.

Woods turned 50 in December 2025, making him eligible for the senior circuit.

He has yet to announce when he’ll return to traditional tournament competition.

But another established golfer believes he’s interested in taking advantage of that opportunity.

Woods has been absent from traditional professional tournament competition since missing the cut at the 2024 Open Championship.

Injuries and multiple surgeries have complicated his attempts to return.

The possibility of competing on the PGA Tour Champions presents a different opportunity.

Senior events generally feature 54 holes rather than the 72 played in regular PGA Tour tournaments.

Some competitions also allow players to use golf carts.

That could make the circuit an attractive option for Woods, particularly if he wants to continue competing without committing to a demanding schedule.

Alker believes Woods could be especially interested in high-profile tournaments hosted by longtime friends Steve Stricker and Jim Furyk.

Major senior championships also present a compelling draw.

The U.S. Senior Open could present an especially intriguing opportunity.

Woods currently shares the record for the most USGA championship victories with Bobby Jones.

Both have nine USGA titles.

Another victory would give Woods sole possession of the record.

Alker emphasized that any return would depend on Woods being physically and mentally prepared to compete.

“I seriously think he’ll come out if he gets fit and in the right mind,” he told Golfweek.

The assessment follows earlier comments from fellow golf legend Ernie Els, who also expressed optimism about Woods’ potential senior career.

Woods turned professional in 1996 at age 20.

He won his first major championship at the 1997 Masters by 12 strokes, a record that still stands.

Over his career, he has won 82 PGA Tour events, tied with Sam Snead for the most all-time.

His 15 major championships rank second only to Jack Nicklaus’ 18.

Woods’ last major victory came at the 2019 Masters, a comeback win that is widely considered one of the greatest moments in sports history.

Since then, he has endured a series of serious injuries.

In February 2021, Woods was involved in a single-car accident in Los Angeles that left him with compound fractures in his right leg and foot.

He spent months in rehabilitation and returned to play at the 2022 Masters, making the cut despite visibly limping.

In 2023, he underwent ankle fusion surgery after developing post-traumatic arthritis from the accident.

He competed in limited events in 2024 but withdrew from the Masters and missed the cut at the Open Championship.

Woods has not played a competitive round since that missed cut in July 2024.

Despite his physical struggles, Woods has remained involved in golf.

He serves as a player director on the PGA Tour Policy Board and has been active in negotiations regarding the Tour’s future.

He also hosted the Genesis Invitational in February 2025, though he did not play.

The PGA Tour Champions, established in 1980, is a professional golf tour for players aged 50 and older.

It is operated by the PGA Tour and features many of the game’s greatest legends.

The tour typically plays 54-hole events with no cut, making it less physically demanding than the regular PGA Tour.

Players are allowed to use golf carts in many events, a rule change that has attracted older players with mobility issues.

Several former stars have found success on the senior circuit after struggling with injuries on the main tour.

Bernhard Langer, who won two Masters titles, has dominated the PGA Tour Champions with 46 victories, including 12 senior majors.

Langer continued winning into his late 60s, proving that age and injury need not end a competitive career.

Woods has previously expressed interest in playing on the senior tour.

In a 2023 interview, he said he looked forward to “the senior tour” when he turned 50.

But he also acknowledged that his body would need to cooperate.

“I don’t know what that will look like,” he said at the time.

Alker’s comments suggest that Woods’ interest is more than casual conversation.

The two-time Charles Schwab Cup champion said he has heard from other players that Woods is serious about competing.

“He wants to come out and play,” Alker repeated, emphasizing the certainty in his voice.

The U.S. Senior Open is scheduled for June 2027 at Scioto Country Club in Columbus, Ohio.

That event could be a natural target for Woods, given his history with the USGA.

Woods won the U.S. Junior Amateur in 1991, 1992 and 1993.

He won the U.S. Amateur in 1994, 1995 and 1996.

His USGA professional victories include the 2000, 2002 and 2008 U.S. Opens.

That gives him nine USGA titles, tied with Jones.

Jones won the U.S. Amateur five times and the U.S. Open four times, all between 1923 and 1930.

No one has held the record outright since Jones retired in 1930.

Woods has often spoken about his admiration for Jones and the significance of USGA championships.

Breaking the record would be a historic achievement, one that would further cement Woods’ legacy as the greatest golfer of his generation.

Alker’s optimism is shared by other golf figures.

Ernie Els, a four-time major champion who joined the PGA Tour Champions in 2019, has said he believes Woods will play senior events.

“He’s too competitive not to,” Els said in a 2025 interview.

But questions remain about Woods’ health.

He has undergone multiple back surgeries, including a spinal fusion in 2017.

His right leg and foot were severely damaged in the 2021 car accident.

He has said that walking 18 holes is difficult and that he experiences pain daily.

The PGA Tour Champions’ allowance of golf carts could alleviate some of that physical burden.

Several players on the senior circuit use carts, including those with medical exemptions.

If Woods chooses to play, he would likely be granted a cart exemption as well.

Alker said Woods’ return would depend on him being “fit and in the right mind.”

That suggests Woods is still working on his physical condition.

Woods has not publicly commented on his fitness level since the 2024 Open Championship.

His last public appearance was at the Hero World Challenge in December 2025, where he attended as a tournament host but did not play.

He has been seen practicing at his home course, The Medalist in Hobe Sound, Florida, according to local reports.

But no official statement about his competitive plans has been released.

The PGA Tour Champions schedule for 2027 has not yet been finalized.

But events typically begin in January with the Mitsubishi Electric Championship in Hawaii.

The tour’s major championships include the Regions Tradition, the Senior PGA Championship, the U.S. Senior Open, the Senior Open Championship and the Charles Schwab Cup Championship.

Woods has not played in any of these events before.

If he commits to the senior circuit, he would likely choose a limited schedule.

Alker mentioned that Woods could be especially interested in tournaments hosted by Steve Stricker and Jim Furyk.

Stricker hosts the American Family Insurance Championship in Madison, Wisconsin.

Furyk hosts the Constellation Furyk & Friends in Jacksonville, Florida.

Both are longtime friends and former Ryder Cup teammates of Woods.

Woods has also been close with Fred Couples, another PGA Tour Champions star, who has encouraged him to join the circuit.