Tiger Woods, the 15-time major champion, may not be seen in a PGA Tour event for several more months. However, according to world No. 7 Wyndham Clark, he is about to give the organisation a significant boost.
Woods is preparing to compete in The Golf League (TGL), the innovative tech-infused league he co-founded with Rory McIlroy, which is set to debut in January.
The TGL will feature 24 of the PGA Tour's top stars competing in weekly made-for-TV matches at SoFi Center in Palm Beach Gardens, Florida. This marks the first time the 49-year-old has committed to a regular schedule of events since his high-speed car crash in 2021, which left him severely injured and with numerous lasting physical issues.
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Woods only played the four majors and The Genesis Invitational on the PGA Tour this year, and it was clear that the challenge of walking 18 holes day after day is extremely difficult at this stage of his career. However, the TGL arena will alleviate these issues.
The players will hit full shots into a large simulator screen during the three-vs-three, 15-hole matches before turning their attention to a nearby dynamic short-game area. Woods will represent Jupiter Links Golf Club and is scheduled to play his first TGL match on January 14.
Clark, the 2023 US Open champion and a member of The Bay Golf Club who is set to play in TGL's inaugural match seven days earlier, believes Woods' return to regular competitive action is a timely boost for the PGA Tour and the sport as a whole.
Clark told the Daily Mirror: "It's massive. Regardless of how good Tiger is playing, just having Tiger involved in golf and playing is massive. And obviously, with his complications with his body and health, it's hard for him to play four rounds in a row, multiple weeks in a row.
"And in this, though, it takes away a lot of the physical challenges that he's struggling with. And now he can just hit the shots. And so that's amazing for the game of golf. It's amazing for TGL.
"And selfishly, it's awesome for me that I get to play alongside Tiger and compete with him. I've never really had that opportunity as kind of a younger, up-and-coming player."
Woods returned to the public eye over the weekend, competing alongside his son, Charlie, in the PNC Championship. The Woods finished runners-up to Bernhard Langer and his son, Jason, but Tiger showed once again he is golf's greatest needle-mover with masses of fans tuning in to watch the climax of an exhibition tournament.
Men's professional golf has endured a challenging couple of years as a result of the LIV Golf breakaway in 2022, with fans becoming jaded by the off-course politics that have dominated the narrative. The divisions in the game have doubtless played a part in concerning viewing figures for the PGA Tour.
TGL could bring new fans to the tour, with weekly matches mainly taking place on Monday nights, broadcast live in primetime on ESPN, filling the gap after the NFL regular season ends. Clark, 30, thinks TGL will have a significant positive impact. "Oh, it's amazing," he said. "I'm hoping it's the start of a lot of primetime stuff for golf. I think TGL has been very smart and strategic to plan it right after the NFL season's over. People want to watch sports still and taking over that Monday night slot is massive."
