Masters drop biggest hint yet about Tiger Woods’ involvement in 2026 tournament

A huge hint may have just been dropped over whether Tiger Woods will be participating in the 2026 Masters Tournament.

While the five-time Green Jacket winner has not yet made any formal announcement over whether he will be involved at the Augusta National Golf Club, Woods’ name is on the list of 2026 invitees.

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Of course, he earns an automatic invitation due to being a former champion, last winning the title back in 2019.

However, in his bio on the Masters‘ official website, all indications appear to point to the 50-year-old making his long-awaited return having been dealing with various injury ailments that has kept him out of the 2026 season.

“Tiger Woods is making his 27th Masters start in 2026. He earned Low Amateur honors in his Augusta National debut in 1995 and then won five times between the ages of 21 and 43,” his official bio read.

“He is one of three to have won the Masters at least four times, with six-time champion Jack Nicklaus and four-time champion Arnold Palmer. His Tournament records include his current consecutive cuts made streak of 24.”

Woods not ruling out 2026 Masters return

As for now it remains just speculation, with Woods having recently revealed that he is still unsure himself, though he hasn’t ruled out the possibility of appearing in the first of the four Majors this year.

“I said I’ve been working on it,” Woods said of his health when speaking to reporters at the TGL earlier this week.

“Sometimes I have good days, sometimes I have bad days. Disk replacement is not a lot of fun.

“So as I said, I’ve had a lot of procedures prior to that, so the body doesn’t quite heal like it was when I was 24. Doesn’t quite bounce back.

“So I have good days when I can pretty much do anything, and other days where it’s hard to just to move around.”

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The 15-time major winner has not played an event since he missed the cut at The Open Championship in July 2024.

He ruptured his left Achilles last March in preparation for the 2025 Masters Tournament.

In October of last year, he then underwent lumbar disk replacement surgery – his seventh back surgery since April 2014.

Woods may return just to feel more involved

During his 14-month absence, Woods has been working behind the scenes on the PGA Tour, where he is currently the chairman of the PGA Tour Future Competition Committee.

He has also been supporting his TGL team Jupiter Links GC from the sidelines, with them punching their ticket to the finals after defeating Rory McIlroy‘s Boston Common Golf.

Jupiter Links, which is comprised of Max Homa, Tom Kim, Kevin Kisner and alternate Akshay Bhatia, will now play against the Los Angeles Golf Club which includes Justin Rose, Tommy Fleetwood, Collin Morikawa, and Sahith Theegala.

But media personality and golf writer Dan Rapaport is convinced that Woods just ‘wants to be a part of something’ which could ultimately sway him to participate in the 2026 Masters.

“It’s not like Tiger hasn’t played his first event of the year at The Masters before, he’s done it a number of times before,” Rapaport said on his Dan on Golf podcast on Thursday.

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“He would always say in his heyday that he didn’t really want to tee it up unless he could win. ‘I’m only here because I feel like I can win’. I don’t know that’s necessarily the case anymore.

“I think he wants to play in The Masters because he wants to be a part of something.

“He’s going to be there for the Champions Dinner anyway. So I still wouldn’t be surprised if he plays in The Masters.

“The odds are certainly less than – if he had played TGL, it’s like he’s definitely playing in The Masters.”

Only time will tell with the 2026 Masters set to tee off on April 9.

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