Tiger Woods said last week at the British Open that he isn’t retiring, but he also said he has “nothing” planned for the immediate future.
“Zero,” Woods told reporters. “Maybe something next year. I don’t know. But nothing in the near future. This is it. I was just hoping to play this one event this year.”
But on Thursday, Woods’ longtime caddie, Joe LaCava, shed more light on the 15-time major champion’s future schedule.
LaCava revealed he hopes Woods will play “three, maybe four” tournaments before the Masters next April, beginning with the Hero World Challenge in December, which Woods hosts. Should the plan come to fruition, Woods would then compete later that month with his son, Charlie, at the PNC Championship for a second straight year as well as at the Genesis Invitational in February 2023.
LaCava outlined the itinerary in an appearance on “The Dan Patrick Show,” Thursday morning.
Tiger Woods and caddie Joe LaCava share a laugh during last week’s British Open. REUTERS
Tiger Woods and Joe LaCava embrace at last week’s British Open. R&A via Getty Images“I’ll say, ‘Hey, Tiger, listen. If you’re starting to feel better, maybe in October, November, maybe I’ll come down [to Florida] for a couple weeks, we’ll hang out,’ ” said LaCava, who lives in Connecticut. “ ‘We don’t have to play every day, we don’t have to practice every day. I’ll be there and maybe give you a little motivation. We’ll go down and play and practice a little bit here and there to get ready for the Hero and get ready for the following year of 2023.’
“We’ll get him ready in any respect that he needs.”
Woods, 46, has made a miraculous recovery from a horrific, single-car crash in February 2021, after which he nearly lost his right leg. He played in three of the four majors this season, finishing 47th at the Masters, withdrawing from the PGA Championship after making the cut and most recently missing the cut at the British Open.
