Tiger Woods has been backed to use the PGA Tour Champions to improve his form in golf’s four majors. The sporting icon has struggled in the biggest tournaments this year, with injuries limiting his impact and preventing him from claiming a 16th title.
Woods is only two years away from being eligible to play on the over-50s tour. The shorter, 54-hole events could allow the American to build his fitness, particularly if he is allowed to navigate the courses in a cart.
His former rival Michael Campbell believes it would be a ‘no-brainer’ for Woods to use the PGA Tour Champions to improve his form in the majors. In eight of his nine rounds in majors this year, the 48-year-old has shot over-par.
“It would be great for the Champions Tour to have him on board,” he says. “With the Champions Tour, it's only three rounds of golf and he’s on a cart which is going to help him with his injuries,” Campbell told Bunkered.
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“He may use the events as a warm up towards the major. He’s got a scorecard in his back pocket and he’s not putting too much strain on his leg so there’s a chance he could do that building up to the Open or the Masters. To me, it’s a no-brainer.”
Campbell famously defeated Woods in the 2005 US Open at Pinehurst. At the time it was a major shock, with Woods comfortably the world’s leading player.
But the last few years have been very tough for the golfing icon. Injuries sustained in a near-fatal car crash in 2021 have hindered Woods’ mobility.
Campbell admits that he now feels ‘sorry’ for Woods. The 55-year-old New Zealander continued: “It’s a real shame. Through my whole career I played a lot with him. He was awesome. To see how he’s playing now… I feel sorry for him."
He’s played four times this year and played poorly,” Campbell explains. “It’s hard for Tiger to come back and only play the majors on the four toughest golf courses.
“He needs to maybe rethink his schedule because you can’t do that. I know he’s Tiger Woods but he can’t just go into a tournament having not played for three or four months and come back and expect to play well. It’s the major issue he has.”
