Jack Nicklaus has claimed Tiger Woods will return to golf and dominate the PGA Tour Champions for over-50s. The 15-time Major winner missed the Masters after rupturing his Achilles’ tendon last month.
Woods, who turns 50 in December, won in 2019 but has now been absent from five of the last 11 Masters and has not played since last year’s Open.
But Nicklaus, the only man to win more Majors than Woods, insisted his fellow American superstar will be back.
“Tiger is hurt. I think Tiger will get well and Tiger will be back and play,” said the Golden Bear. “Tiger will be 50 next year (sic). I believe he’ll probably play the Senior Tour and I believe he’ll probably dominate the Senior Tour.
“Tiger is too much of a competitor to not play. I don’t believe he will not play. I believe he will play. I don’t think Tiger will play for money. He doesn’t need money.
“Tiger will play for competition. He loves competition, and he’s very good at it, obviously.”
Six-time champion Nicklaus now joins fellow legends Gary Player and Tom Watson in a ceremony to hit the opening drives of the tournament.
Asked if Woods is now closer to being an honorary starter than a competitor, the Golden Bear said: “Not in his mind. That’s the only way I can answer that because it’s got to be in his mind, not somebody else’s.”
Woods was not fit enough to travel to Augusta for the Champions’ Dinner The 1971 Masters winner Charles Coody told the Augusta Chronicle: “We were putting our jackets away and the guys said that Tiger still can’t put weight on his foot. They said his weight tolerance just isn’t there to climb up those stairs.”
Woods has previously cast doubt on his future in golf, having admitted last month that he has not been enjoying practicing following the tragic death of his mother Kultida in February.
“This is the third time I’ve touched a club since my mom passed, so I haven’t really got into it,” Woods said at the TGL last month. “My heart is really not into practicing right now.
“I’ve had so many other things to do with the Tour and trying to do other things. Once I start probably feeling a little bit better and start getting into it, I’ll start looking at the schedule.”
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