Tiger Woods' ex-coach feels professional golf is in decline due to absence of 15-time Major winner

Tiger Woods' ex-coach Hank Haney believes that professional golf is in decline. In his recent post, he stated that the reason behind this decline is Woods' absence.

Hank Haney is a veteran golf instructor, most notably known for his partnership with Tiger Woods, whom he helped win 31 PGA Tour titles, including six Major championships over a six-year span.

On January 4, a fan replied to Hank Haney on X, stating that golf was a dying sport. The veteran coach countered the user, claiming that golf was doing fine. Another fan chimed in, saying that while amateur golf was thriving, professional golf was in decline. Haney responded to the fan and shared his views on this perspective.

"Professional golf isn’t dying," he wrote on X. "It’s declining because Tiger isn’t there to carry it, LIV sliced the pie up and the PGA Tour didn’t evolve and address its issues, it is now and things will improve but there will never be another Tiger Woods."

In recent times, professional golf has seen a decline in viewership. The much-hyped LIV Golf vs. PGA Tour showdown garnered just 625K viewers. In contrast, the PNC Championship, featuring Tiger Woods, recorded 2.92 million viewers on Day 1. This was more than many PGA Tour events, signifying that the 15-time Major winner is still the driving force of the game.

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When will Tiger Woods return to action?

Tiger Woods and son Charlie Woods celebrate after a putt on the ninth green during the PNC Championship (Image Source: Imagn)

The 82-time PGA Tour winner will be back in action soon, as he is set to play in the inaugural season of the TGL, a tech-infused league that kicks off on January 7. Woods will represent the Jupiter Links GC alongside Max Homa, Tom Kim, and Kevin Kisner. For the uninitiated, he is the co-founder of the highly anticipated tech-infused league alongside sports executive Mike McCarley.

Woods, who turned 49 last week, was last seen in action at the 2024 PNC Championship alongside his son Charlie. The duo posted their best-ever result but lost to defending champions Bernhard Langer and his son Jason in a playoff.

As for his return to official PGA Tour action, there is no official update on Woods yet. However, he is expected to return at the Genesis Invitational. Notably, last year he made his return at Riviera Country Club but was forced to withdraw due to the flu.