On January 9th, 2024, the new TGL Golf League will launch in Florida at Palm Beach State College. This new concept will see 24 PGA Tour professionals compete in six groups of four over a 15-hole format. 

One of the players taking part is Tiger Woods who has also been instrumental in the league’s creation. With Woods set to play a leading role in this novel idea, hopes of a full-time comeback on the PGA Tour’s main circuit in 2024 have increased. What is the likelihood of this happening? 

Woods priced to play in the 2024 majors 

Looking at the latest bet golf odds, you might be tempted to think that Woods’ involvement in Florida does signal the start of a return to life on tour given that the 15-time major champion has been given an official price of +10,000 to win the 2024 Masters in April.

In addition to this, Woods has also been allocated the same price of +10000 to win the USPGA Championship at Valhalla Golf Club a month afterwards in May. On this evidence, it seems a strong possibility that Woods’ participation in the TGL Golf League marks the resumption of his career after a long injury layoff. 

While Woods may well tee it up at these majors in early 2024, his role at the TGL launch may not exactly point to a permanent return. 

Simulator golf vs outdoor golf 

The overriding reason for this is that the new TGL competition is mostly played on a simulator which means that players don’t have to walk as much as they normally would throughout a standard competition. 

This naturally assists Woods who has struggled to complete the full 72 holes that comprise a four-day tournament since his accident in February 2021. This was most notable during the 2023 Masters when Woods withdrew during the third round after suffering from severe inflammation of the tissues in his right heel. 

With this said, Woods will still be required to do some walking when competing in the TGL competition given that when a player gets within 50 yards of the green, they must hole out. In this instance, players will have to chip and putt onto a virtual green that is around 120 meters in size. 

Still, the physical exertion needed here will be minimal and won’t test Woods in a way that the natural undulation of an 18-hole golf course would. This is especially true when you consider that the TGL format is based on alternate shots between team members, which will essentially see Woods hit just one or two shots on a hole at most.

Woods' 2024 priorities 

While this new concept doesn’t offer a rigorous examination of a player’s stamina or strength, and therefore isn't an accurate indicator of a player's overall fitness, this also doesn’t mean that Woods will be completely absent during the 2024 season.

The 2019 Masters champion had always been targeting a return in 2024 and he will likely try and play in all of the year’s four majors.  This, however, may be as much as Woods’ body allows with the 47-year-old admitting that he will put all his energy into these events in a bid to try and surpass Jack Nicklaus’ record major tally of 18.

Going forward, this suggests that fans can expect to see Woods in front of the TGL simulator and at the majors but not as a regular on the main tours.