Is Tiger Woods making a surprise return sooner than we thought?

Tiger Woods suffered a life-threatening accident in February 2021. The 15-time major champion sustained several injuries in a car crash outside Los Angeles and has been rehabbing his leg ever since. However, he has shown no signs of retirement and seems eager to get back on the golf course every time he gets a chance.

Woods recently came forward to deny speculation that he would retire post The Open Championships this year. The ace golfer, who has featured in only three major events since the crash, said that he was far from done. However, he didn’t specify when he would play next.

With a reduced calendar, fans are finding it increasingly difficult to predict which events Woods will play at. Apart from his occasional emergency trip to Delaware, Woods has been in hibernation for some time now with reports claiming he will not return until 2023. However, one of Tiger Woods’ confidants has now come out to claim that the PGA Tour champion’s next outing might be closer than people think.

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Tiger Woods might return to the greens soon

According to Tiger Woods' friend and former college teammate, Notah Begay III, the ace golfer’s return to the greens is set to happen sooner than the golf world thinks. Begay III was speaking on SiriusXM's PGA Tour Radio when he addressed the speculation over the 15-time major winner’s next appearance. He claimed that Woods will likely return this autumn. Begay said he was "fairly certain" Woods would play in the PNC Championship in December.

Woods recently turned caddie for his son Charlie. The duo played the NBIII National Junior Golf Championship at the Mission Inn Resort in Howey in September. Begay now claims that Woods will return to the greens at the PNC Championship with his son, Charlie, for the third straight year. It is pertinent to note that Woods played the event last year with a limp finish runner-up to Team Daly.

Speaking to PGA Tour Radio on Tiger Woods’ return, Notah Begay III said:

"I know as soon as he feels like he can be competitive, I think he got a good sense of what it’s going to take this past year, we’ll see him. We might see him one time this fall. He might surprise everybody."

Tiger Woods on Tuesday (October 4) announced the initial field for his Hero World Challenge. Woods announced 17 players of the 20-player field for the event to be held in the Bahamas. However, he himself was not on the list and this had got his fans worried. Begay also addressed this and said that the former champion could make the final cut for the event. Woods’ friend also added that he doesn't think anyone would "begrudge" Woods for using a cart at the event.

Speaking at a press conference for this week’s Furyk and Friends Champions’ event, Begay said:

“I think he's -- we may see a late-minute introduction of a cart rule [at the Hero], that would be great. So may be the pseudo-champion, the pre-champions event out there. It will just be another chance for us to see how far he's come… I just think Tiger, for his entire life, has been the most competitive athlete that we've seen in sports for quite some time… I know that if you just look at the metrics that are related to his golf swing in terms of clubhead speed, ball speed, his ability to execute golf shots, it's still all there.”

Begay went on to recall that Tiger Woods remains a legend of the game. He stated that the ace golfer only had trouble walking the course of the 72 holes field and his game was all the same. He added that Woods’ ability to perform at the upcoming event will come down to his endurance.