Tiger Woods in action at Valhalla Golf Club in Louisville, Kentucky, on May 16, 2024 (Shutterstock)
Tiger Woods, who has won 82 tournaments on the PGA Tour, will turn 50 years old on Dec. 30, making him eligible to play PGA Tour Champions events next season.
Simmons Bank Championship Tournament Director Michael Cataldo said there’s a chance Woods could play in Little Rock. “We think there’s an appetite that he’s going to play [on the Champions Tour],” Cataldo said. “If he plays enough and qualifies for the playoffs, there’s a chance we could see him here in Little Rock.”
If Woods played, organizers would have to revisit their site plan to accommodate the larger crowds the 15-time major winner would attract, he said.
Woods has battled injuries with seven back surgeries in 11 years, including lumbar disc replacement surgery on Oct. 10. But PGA Tour Champions events are only three days long as opposed to four days on the PGA Tour, and players are allowed to use golf carts instead of walking.
The 54 players with the most accumulated points advance to the Simmons Bank Championship, which is the second of three rounds of the tour’s playoffs.