Tiger Woods was swinging freely on a driving range at Liberty National. The visuals meant signs of recovery from his ruptured Achilles tendon surgery. But just as optimism started to build, new concerns emerged.

This concern is associated with Tiger’s own tournament, the Hero World Challenge he hosts in the Bahamas. NUCLR Golf has shared a list of the field announced for the tournament in an X post. However, the 15x major winner’s name is nowhere to be found on the list. Although there are three spots yet to be announced, his absence from the current list has fans questioning if he’s fully ready to compete.

Tiger was playing in the inaugural season of TGL, a league he co-owns with the 2025 Ryder Cup star Rory McIlroy. While he was practicing for the same at his home, he felt sharp pain in his left Achilles tendon. After undergoing surgery for the same, Woods shared an update on his X handle.

“This morning, Dr. Charlton Stucken of Hospital for Special Surgery in West Palm Beach, Florida performed a minimally-invasive Achilles tendon repair for a ruptured tendon. ‘The surgery went smoothly, and we expect a full recovery,’ added Dr. Stucken. I am back home now and plan to focus on my recovery and rehab, thank you for all the support,” the post read.

Since recovery from the Achilles tendon surgery requires around 4 to 6 months, it meant that Tiger Woods would likely miss the competitive PGA Tour. This was devastating news for the fans of the 82x PGA Tour winners. But as the months passed, fans were waiting for news on his full recovery, and they received it when Woods was seen at Liberty National. He was there to host the 2025 Nexus Cup, where 72 amateurs play in 18 foursomes.

His swings gave hope that he might play in the Hero World Challenge, which he hosts every year at Albany, Bahamas. This was supposed to be a huge moment, as he opted to rest in 2024 to recover from his sixth back surgery in September 2024. However, the currently shared field does not contain his name. The last time he played in this event was in 2023. He finished 18th on the leaderboard, completing on par on a 228-stroke course. With a score of 20 under par, Scottie Scheffler was the one who won the event.

Woods has battled several injuries since a severe road accident in 2021. The ongoing health challenges made it difficult to come back to a complete PGA Tour schedule. He still continued to play in a few events, and fans were hoping to see him in the 2025 Hero World Challenge. But could it be that he is resting for a bigger comeback?

Tiger Woods could be saving himself for a bigger comeback

The 15x major winner opted out of the 2024 Hero World Challenge, and it currently appears that he might not be a part of the 2025 field, too. But that does not necessarily mean a setback. In fact, looking at his swings at Liberty National, fans are hoping for a stronger comeback in 2026.

Since his near-fatal accident, Tiger has only played in a few tournaments. However, there’s no denying that he did make attempts to increase contention and become a regular on the PGA Tour. This shows that he is ready for a comeback but might be waiting for the right moment. As the ruptured Achilles tendon put 2025 out of the question, 2026 could be the year.

On the other hand, 3 names are yet to be announced for the Hero World Challenge. It is hard to keep the golfer away from the course when he is feeling healthy. Therefore, regardless of whether he plays in the 2025 Hero World Challenge or waits for the 2026 PGA Tour, one thing that is certain is that fans will soon see him out on the course.