It was no surprise, but Tiger Woods has extended a warm welcome to Brooks Koepka back to the PGA Tour. He did so during an interview with Scott Van Pelt during his team’s TGL match (Jupiter Links) against New York Golf Club. Tiger stated that it is great news for the American circuit and believes that the conditions imposed for his return are fair and uphold meritocracy.
“I think it’s incredible for the Tour. It’s incredible for all the fans. It’s what they wanted. They want to see the best play against the best. And for Brooks to want to come back a year early, and for him to have been able to do it, and for us to have worked on it over Christmas with both boards, with all the player representatives, as well as other golfers, to make sure this is right. I know there are some penalties there. But it’s a meritocracy. That’s what makes our sport so great. Koepka will play full-field tournaments, but he will have the chance to earn access to the signature events. If he’s good, he’s good. If he plays great, he plays great. If he wins tournaments, he wins tournaments. There’s no reason we should hold him back,” he asserts.
Tiger did not explain, however, what he thinks of the Member Return Programme proposed by the PGA Tour to Jon Rahm, Bryson DeChambeau, and Cameron Smith, players who made it clear this Tuesday that, for now, they are not moving from LIV Golf. However, it’s not that they did so with great enthusiasm, Smith the most, then Jon, and finally Bryson. Just watch the videos with their responses:
Tiger also took the opportunity in the interview to welcome Akshay Bhatia to his TGL team, hours after rejecting an offer from Mickelson to join LIV Golf. At the same time, he provided an update on the progress of his health and fitness following yet another back surgery he underwent last autumn.
“The doctors have given me permission to hit, basically short irons and mid irons,” Woods explained. “I haven’t gone beyond that. When that time comes, when I start hitting drivers and start playing at home and doing all the different things, I will have been away from the game for a year and a half, so I’m going to be quite rusty (his last tournament was the Open Championship 2024 where he missed the cut). There are many things that will come into play from that moment. My preparation is going to have to be a bit different from other surgeries I’ve had in the past. I’ve had to be much more patient with myself. It hurts earlier, I guess because I’m 50 years old. That happens.”
All roads lead to seeing him again at the Masters in Augusta, provided, of course, that no new setbacks occur between now and April. It’s even possible that he might use some of the last TGL matches to get back into competition, even if it’s in a light format, before the Masters.
By the way, his Jupiter Links lost to New York 8 to 3. Kevin Kisner, Max Homa, and Bhatia played against Cameron Young, Fitzpatrick, and Fowler. They dominated the triples format (foursome) and Fowler delivered the decisive blow against Bhatia in his individual match.
