Will Tiger Woods play in the Bradenton’s Senior PGA Championship? What we know
Tiger Woods, one of the most accomplished golfers in history, is eligible to tee it up when the Senior PGA Championship comes to The Concession Golf Club in Bradenton next month.
The tournament, scheduled for April 16-19, will feature former major champions and Hall of Fame golfers.
Woods turned 50 years old, which is the age requirement for eligibility on the PGA Tour Champions, in December.
However, Woods underwent lumbar disc replacement surgery in October. It was his seventh back surgery and second surgery in 2025. He ruptured his Achilles tendon while preparing for the 2025 Masters.
Still, speculation and rumors have swirled around Woods potentially playing the senior circuit since December.
And big names have recently teased the idea of Woods competing in the local tournament
Could Tiger Woods play in Bradenton?
Manatee County resident and 1993 PGA Champion Paul Azinger was the key speaker during a Senior PGA Championship press conference at The Concession.
He joked about Woods playing the tournament.
“Hopefully, Tiger last-second commits,” Azinger said. “‘C’mon bud, this is a major right in your home state. You can do it.’”
And during a press conference at Pier 22 in downtown Bradenton where he signed a bill aimed at blocking a proposed Manatee County cruise port, Gov. Ron DeSantis also toyed with the idea of Woods competing in the 2026 Senior PGA Championship.
“Tiger could play. He’s eligible,” DeSantis said. “I don’t know if he will. I mean, he’s, you know, he’s got (to heal). I mean, if he does that, then I’m going to have to have FHP help with the traffic going in because that’ll … cause a lot more people to want to go.”
In February, Woods hinted at playing the PGA Tour Champions in the future.
“It’s challenging,” Woods said, according to Golfweek. “And now I entered a new decade, so that number is starting to sink in and has us thinking about the opportunity to be able to play in a cart. That’s something that, as I said, I won’t do out here on this (PGA) Tour because I don’t believe in it. But on the Champions Tour, there’s certainly that opportunity.”
Woods, who hasn’t played a tournament since the 2024 British Open, didn’t rule out a chance to return at the Masters. However, Woods provided an update in March.
Speaking to Golf.com, Woods said he has good and bad days and his “body doesn’t quite heal like it was when I was 24.”
In addition to recovering from his latest back surgery, Woods’ return to Augusta National could thwart the chances of him playing the Senior PGA Championship.
The Masters takes place the week before the 2026 Senior PGA Championship.
Woods has not played back-to-back tournaments since the 2020 FedEx Cup Playoffs.
