rewrite this title Tiger Woods rules himself out of Hero World Challenge return

Tiger Woods will not compete at this year’s Hero World Challenge, the 15-time major winner confirmed in a social media post on Monday.

The former world No 1 has been plagued by injury in recent years and has only made 11 competitive starts since his career-threatening car crash in February 2021, missing the cut in three of the four majors this year.

Woods underwent surgery in September to alleviate “back spasms and pain” that hampered his limited playing schedule during the 2024 season.

After missing the cut at The Open, Woods said at the time he was hoping to return for the Hero World Challenge and the PNC Championship later in December where he is set to partner his son Charlie.

But in a post on X on Monday, Woods stated: “I am disappointed that I will not be able to compete this year at the Hero World Challenge”, while at the same time welcoming Justin Thomas, Jason Day and Nick Dunlap into the 20-player field.

The tournament, which Woods hosts, runs between Thursday December 5 and Sunday December 8 in the Bahamas and is live on Sky Sports.

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Woods’ injury struggles plague 2024 season

Woods had his first microdiscectomy in April 2014, two more the following year and then had his lower back fused in 2017.

He had another microdiscectomy surgery in December 2020 to remove a pressurised disc fragment, before shattering bones in his right leg and ankle in a car crash during his recovery.

The former world No 1 made a record 24th consecutive cut at The Masters earlier this year but shot 82 and 77 over the weekend, leaving him bottom of those who made the cut, then made early exits at the PGA Championship, US Open and The Open.

Woods had previously set an ambitious ‘tournament a month’ target for 2024, although his only other appearance outside of the majors saw him having to withdraw mid-round from the Genesis Invitational due to illness.