Kevin Kisner: Tiger Woods will return to professional golf soon

Tiger Woods plans to play a full season in TGL in 2027, Kevin Kisner said. The PGA Tour player and NBC analyst believes the 15-time major champion could return to competition before the end of 2026.

Woods’ rollover car crash and DUI arrest in March derailed his expected return at the Masters. By then, he had recovered from his latest surgery and appeared ready to play a professional tournament for the first time in nearly two years. After the arrest, Woods spent time in treatment and later reached a plea deal.

With his legal troubles now behind him, Woods has resumed public appearances. At one of them, he was filmed hitting balls and appeared healthy.

On Barstool’s Fore Play podcast, Kisner said he will no longer play for Woods’ Jupiter Links team in TGL: his place was opened for Woods. Kisner played for Woods’ team during the league’s first two seasons. He had previously won his fourth PGA Tour title at the 2021 Wyndham Championship and played on the winning U.S. Presidents Cup team in 2022.

“Well, obviously I’m not on the team anymore,” Kisner said. “I had a two-year contract with Jupiter Links. Tiger wants to play, and then they signed Keith Mitchell, which is totally fine with me.”

Kisner said Woods himself did not deliver the news. Instead, Woods’ longtime manager, Rob McNamara, texted him. “Rob, Tiger’s guy, texted me a long text last week, I think, just telling me what they did on their decisions, how they were moving around and what players were going to do and that Tiger wanted to play a full schedule,” Kisner said.

Kisner believes Woods will return to professional golf in December, at the 2026 Hero World Challenge and the 2026 PNC Championship. Both events are scheduled for December.

“Yeah, I think he plays [the Hero World Challenge] and PNC Father Son. I think he is going to play both,” Kisner said. “I mean, we can’t have any more setbacks injury-wise. But the way he was swinging and moving on the range, I mean, the guy loves to compete. Come back, get your feet wet at the Hero, play with Charlie in the Father Son, play some TGL, get ready for Augusta.”

The Hero World Challenge would be a natural place for Woods to return. He hosts the tournament, which features a limited field of top players he knows well. It is a low-pressure event played on a low-pressure golf course and usually draws relatively few on-site fans. Woods has also made several previous injury comebacks at the Hero.

When the initial Hero World Challenge field was released last week, it included three spots for players to be named later.

The PNC Championship would give Woods the chance to play alongside his son, Charlie, whose own golf career is developing. Woods appears to cherish the event, having played it five times.

The Hero World Challenge begins on December 3, followed by the PNC Championship on December 17.