Tiger Woods will make his 2025 PGA Tour debut next week at the Genesis Invitational, a tournament hosted by Woods that benefits his TGR Foundation. The event is usually held at Riviera Country Club in Pacific Palisades, California, but was moved up the coast to Torrey Pines after the recent fires in the Los Angeles area.

Fans will be excited for Tiger’s prospects given his eight-win history at Torrey Pines, including the 2008 U.S. Open, but that was how many setbacks ago? The last time Woods teed it up at Torrey Pines was in 2020, and he finished ninth. Since then alone he’s had two back surgeries and an ankle procedure, on top of a nearly fatal car accident.

No matter how he plays on the course, Tiger’s presence will elevate the $20 million Signature Event. He’ll headline a lot of the early week coverage and he’ll be in a featured group. His score be damned, he still moves the “needle” we’re told and remains the biggest ambassador for the pro game.

But when the tournament begins, the focus will move to those who are contending, which is something Woods hasn’t done in a while. In four official starts in 2024, Tiger set the record for consecutive cuts made at the Masters last spring (then shot 82-77 on the weekend), but failed to make the weekend at the other three majors before he underwent back surgery in September. He’ll also be playing on the PGA Tour for the first time in seven months just nine days after the death of his mother, Kultida Woods.

At every comeback stop and major championship along the way, Woods has been steadfast that he’ll only tee it up if he thinks he can compete. Recent history says that time has come and gone for the PGA Tour (he’s Champions tour eligible in 2026), but if we have to watch Torrey Pines for another week this season, it’ll be nice to see Tiger out there this time around.