Jack Nicklaus Thinks Tiger Woods Is Teeing up His Next Chapter in Golf
Tiger Woods is skipping this year's Masters Tournament to nurse an injury, but legendary golfer Jack Nicklaus isn't worried. The 85-year-old athlete thinks that Woods is already planning the next stage of his golf career.
At 49 years of age, Woods has had his share of injuries. This year, a torn Achilles has hampered his progress this season, but there is another chapter he could begin once he turns 50 in December. That's where Nicklaus entered the chat.
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"I think Tiger will get well and Tiger will be back and play,' Nicklaus said at the opening of the Masters, via the Independent. "I believe he'll probably play the senior tour, and I believe he'll probably dominate the senior tour. Tiger is too much of a competitor to not play. I don't believe he will not play. I believe he will play."
Jack Nicklaus of the United States takes part in the first tee ceremony prior to the first round of the 2024 Masters Tournament at Augusta National Golf Club on April 11, 2024 in Augusta, Georgia.The minimum age to participate in the PGA Tour Champions, formerly known as the Senior PGA Tour, is 50. There are five major championships in the tour: The Tradition, Senior PGA Championship, U.S. Senior Open, Senior Players Championship, and The Senior Open Championship. In 2025, there are 28 official events, and they are quite lucrative.
Woods is fine financially and that's why Nicklaus thinks he will "play for competition" because he's got that drive in him. Still, he may not be ready to jump from the PGA Tour to the PGA Tour Champions just yet.
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In July 2024, Woods pushed back in any retirement talk after the former world's No. 2 golfer, Colin Montgomerie criticized his game ahead of The Open Championship in Troon, Scotland.
"Well, as a past champion, I'm exempt until I'm 60," Woods said, referring to his privilege of competing at The Open until he's 60, per Newsweek. "Colin's not. He's not a past pioneer, so he's not exempt. So, he doesn't get the opportunity to make that decision. I do."
Related: Paulina Gretzky & Dustin Johnson Prove They're Golf's Ultimate Power Couple
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