Tiger Woods at nighttime as golf icon outlines Majors plan for 2024
Tiger Woods desires to play in all of the Majors subsequent 12 months however has admitted he must depend on a favour from the US Open organisers to finish the set. Woods, who turns 48 in a fortnight, has pencilled in a schedule for 2024 which can see him play one match a month after returning to the golf course following ankle surgical procedure.
The record contains the Masters, US PGA and Open Championship however for the primary time since 1996 he’s not robotically certified for all of the Majors along with his US Open cross having expired.
Unless he can climb into the world’s prime 60 by late spring – unlikely since he’s now ranked 901 – he can be reliant on a particular exemption from the USGA that different greats of the sport like Jack Nicklaus and Tom Watson have been afforded previously.
He acknowledges he’s at nighttime over whether or not – or how – that may occur. “I don’t know what’s happened with Jack over his career, or Tom or anybody else but as of right now I’m not in,” stated Woods. “Whether or not I have to formally ask them or they invite me, or I have to go qualify, I don’t know what the process is.”
Woods has a lifetime cross into the Masters and the US PGA and might play in The Open till he’s 60 however his five-year US Open exemption – from his 2019 win at Augusta – ran out this 12 months.
The USGA doesn’t hand out particular invites yearly – the newest went to Phil Mickelson in 2021 – however there can be important stress on them to open the door for Woods at Pinehurst in June with the three-time winner enjoying once more. His presence in any match nonetheless strikes the dial.
His newest look, a fifth-place end within the knockabout father-and-son PNC Championship on the weekend, adopted on from his profitable comeback – bodily a minimum of – within the Hero World Challenge a fortnight in the past the place he completed 18th out of 20.
“It’s been nice to knock off a lot of the rust and some of the doubt that I’ve had because quite frankly I haven’t hit a shot that counted in a long time,” stated Woods.
“Having to post a score and hit shots with consequence has been nice. The ankle was fine because it’s now fused. Other parts were definitely aching but the fact that I was able to train right away and get after it and start hitting balls was encouraging.
“If I’m able to practise and prepare I know that I can still do it. I can still hit the golf ball. I can still chip. I can still putt. Granted it’s also putting it all together for 72 holes – that’s the challenging part of it.”