Tiger Woods’ return to competition didn’t last all that long, but it might have been an important step for the golfing great.
Woods played in the TGL’s SoFi Cup finals Tuesday night in Palm Beach Gardens, Fla., though his presence in the lineup wasn’t enough for Jupiter Links.
Los Angeles GC was a convincing 9-2 winner in a match that lasted barely 90 minutes. It ended early enough that Woods didn’t even get to take part in the singles portion of the match.
Woods described the result as getting “our (butts) kicked in the end.”
“They steamrolled us in the end, but it’s good to be back,” Woods said.
This was Woods’ first competitive golf since February 2025, when he appeared in TGL’s inaugural season. He’s about six months removed from lumbar disk replacement last fall on top of a surgery for an Achilles rupture from earlier in the year. He hasn’t played in a regular tournament since the 2024 Open Championship.
It’s unclear if Woods will compete in next month’s Masters.
Woods, a five-time Masters champion, took his first shot Tuesday on the green — a putt from about 25 feet away that came up short.
Soon after, he helped his team capture its first point with a 3-wood — calculated at 272 virtual yards — to put the Jupiter Links in position for a score.
In some ways, there was the appearance of a vintage Woods. He wore a red shirt and close-up views of him showed sweat on his face. He had a stern stare, reminding viewers of the focus that often led to some of his most memorable performances.
He also missed a short putt, banging his putter on the ball after it lipped out and rolled away from the hole. That misfire resulted in Jupiter Links falling behind for the first time in the match at 3-2.
Woods, captain for Jupiter Links, was in Match 2 of the best-of-three finals on the Palm Beach State College campus.
“I’ve been a cheerleader all these matches, and I want to contribute,” he said prior to the match.
Woods, 50, joined teammates Max Homa and Tom Kim, replacing Kevin Kisner in the lineup. The team faced off with Justin Rose, Tommy Fleetwood and Sahith Theegala.
Los Angeles GC won Monday’s Match 1. Tuesday’s result in Match 2 meant a decisive match wasn’t needed later Tuesday night.
In the inaugural TGL finals last year, the Atlanta Drive GC swept New York Golf Club 2-0.
–Field Level Media
