Tiger Woods comparisons generally are a really good thing.

But after Scottie Scheffler joined Woods as one of seven multiple-time Players champions, he was reminded of what could be viewed as a slightly depressing statistic.

The current World No. 1 has been on a tear the past 25 months; Scheffler earned his first PGA Tour win in February 2022 at the WM Phoenix Open and hasn’t slowed down much since.

He won three more times over the next three months that season, including his first major title at the Masters. He won in Scottsdale again in 2023 before taking the Players Championship a month later. Scheffler didn’t win for 52 weeks after that (gasp!), but that didn’t stop him from cementing his place at the top of the sport.

While Scheffler didn’t win an official event between March 2023 and March 2024, he racked up top-10s at a mind-boggling pace. For the entire 2022-23 PGA Tour season, he finished outside the top 12 just three times. His next start, after the Tour Championship, at the unofficial Hero World Challenge? He won.

In the past two weeks, the 27-year-old has returned to his official winning ways, taking the Arnold Palmer Invitational and defending his title at TPC Sawgrass, becoming the first to accomplish the feat.

According to the analytics site, DataGolf, Scheffler’s current peak of +2.82 in the DG Index is the fourth highest of all-time, behind Woods in 2000, Vijay Singh in 2004 and David Duval in 1999. He’s been able to maintain — and elevate — that number despite losing strokes on the green until the last couple of weeks.

But, being compared to Woods ain’t easy, and on Sunday night at TPC Sawgrass Scheffler shared a funny revelation about how far he has to go to draw legitimate comparisons to Woods’ sustained run of dominance.

“I’m not going to remember the exact numbers, but like we’re playing at Riv this year, and I hit my tee ball and this guy yells out, like, ‘Congrats on being No. 1 Scottie. Eleven more years to go,’” Scheffler recalled, cracking up the press room.

“Eleven more years to go,” he repeated for emphasis.

The fan at last month’s Genesis Invitational was referring to Woods’ incredible mark of 683 weeks atop the Official World Golf Ranking, more than double the total of the next closest player. Woods was also World No. 1 for two separate streaks of 281 and 264 weeks — again, both more than double the next best.

Scheffler, meanwhile, is working on a run of 44 straight weeks atop of the OWGR for a total of 79 weeks in his career, all of which have come in the last two years. That means to catch Woods, Scheffler needs to hold the world’s top ranking for another 604 weeks, or about 11 years and seven and a half months.

The win he logged Sunday was the eighth of his career, leaving him 76 behind Woods’ record total on the PGA Tour, not to mention Scheffler’s lone major title is 14 fewer than Woods’ mark.

“Anytime you can be compared to Tiger I think is really special, but, I mean, the guy stands alone I think in our game,” Scheffler said. “He really does. This is my eighth tournament win now out here, I’ve tied him in Players Championships. Outside of that, I got 14 more majors and 70-some PGA Tour events to catch up. So I think I’m going to stick to my routine and just continue to plot along, try and stay as even-keeled as I can.

“We all idolize Tiger. He’s been our guy. Watching what he did in special moments over the years is crazy to watch. I’ve learned a lot just from being around him. We’re just very thankful that he’s still a part of our sport.”

As in Tiger Woods.

There’s as much talk about Woods not playing the Players Championship this week at TPC Sawgrass as there is about the stars who are here — beginning with defending-champion Scottie Scheffler, who’s fresh off his second Arnold Palmer Invitational victory in the past three years.

Woods was widely expected to be in the field this week. That would follow the natural progression of his stated plan, which was to play one tournament a month, including the major championships.

Woods was forced to withdraw from the Genesis Invitational last month at Riviera with a bout of what he called the flu, being driven off the course in the middle of his second round.

He was well enough to play in the annual prestigious Seminole pro-member nine days ago — paired with PGA of America CEO Seth Waugh and striking the ball extremely well, according to a report by Brad Faxon, who was also in the field.

Yet, when the deadline came and went Friday for the Players Championship field, Woods’ name was nowhere to be found.

And we have heard nothing from him one way or another — not that he owes anyone an explanation.

It is, however, unconventional for him to head into next month’s Masters (assuming he’s going to play that, because with Woods you never know) having played less than a round and a half of tournament golf.

Woods last played the Players Championship in 2019, shortly before his historic Masters victory in April of that year. Technically speaking, his eligibility to play in the Players has only one year remaining, 2025, based on his Masters win in ’19 that gave him a five-year exemption.

Woods’ wins at the Players in 2001 and 2013 don’t automatically qualify him into the fields in the future.

PGA Tour commissioner Jay Monahan was asked Tuesday if there would ever be a “special’’ category that would allow past champions like Woods into the field so he can play whenever he wants.

“I think you all know Tiger well enough to know that he wants to earn his way into every competition,’’ Monahan said. “That’s his makeup.’’

Xander Schauffele on Tuesday was asked if he misses having Woods in the field.

“He kind of had a rough go for a little bit with his body and everything, [but] if there’s anyone that’s going to talk about putting their head in the sand and find some way to win another golf tournament, I would imagine it’s going to be him,’’ he said. “So, being his competitor, I pull for him pretty hard. He’s kind of the heartbeat of golf, in my opinion, and any time he tees it up it’s a spectacle.’’

Patrick Cantlay added, “Anytime he plays, we’re all better for it. I know he’s working as hard as he can to be healthy and be able to play, and so I hope we get him out here as soon as possible for as many events as possible.’’

Scheffler — who’s ranked No. 1 in the world, a spot Woods once held for a record number of weeks in his prime — said he can’t wait to see Woods play again.

“I wish I had a crystal ball and I could tell you how many of those [tournaments] we had left,’’ Scheffler said. “He’s definitely the best player I’ve ever seen, and I think he’s the best player we’ve ever had. Anytime you can stand up there and walk alongside him and compete in the same golf tournament as him is really special.

“I’ve had the pleasure of playing with him at the Masters a couple years ago. It was the day he made the 10. He’s just so much different than the rest of us. He’s won so many golf tournaments, and he makes a 10 on No. 12 at Augusta, and he birdies five of the last six holes, and it’s Sunday. I mean, it’s completely meaningless to him; like at that stage in his career, what’s the point?

“And for him just to step up there and completely turn it around … I kid you not, he hit still to this day, three of the best iron shots I’ve ever seen hit coming into those last few holes, and it was just unbelievable to watch. Anytime that we can get him out here competing and playing, I think it’s really special for all of us.’’

That moment, though, will have to wait — likely for another few weeks when the world waits for him to turn up at Augusta.

It was a disheartening start to Tiger Woods‘s 2024 season! The 48-year-old was preparing to play the second round for his official start at the Genesis Invitational when an unwanted enemy stopped him in his tracks and he traveled out of the Riviera Country Club on a golf cart—one thing Woods guaranteed he would never do! As he took back his words about using a cart, will he have to take his words back about competing in one tournament every month too? Well, that would depend on his recovery from influenza.

It has now been three days since Woods went back to his abode. For the last 72 hours, it has remained a mystery as to when Woods will be healthy again and when he will compete in his second event of the season, until now!

When may Tiger Woods be healthy again?

After playing the opening round and getting back to his room, Tiger Woods showed some flu-like symptoms. His long-time friend and TGR manager, Rob McNamara, had told the press that the symptoms started on the night of the Thursday round, and on the next day, they were “worse than the night before.”

He had a fever and, during the warm-up, started feeling dizzy. This could be assumed to be day one of influenza, where the body tries to fend off the virus. The next day, Woods would have been kept hydrated via IV, which is needed during the flu recovery. Day three could turn out to be worse than before, according to GoodRx Health.

Woods is probably on the way to recovery, as by the end of day four, the influenza symptoms usually start going away. By days five and six, people can usually resume their normal lifestyle and go back to work. However, for someone like Woods, who has undergone many injuries and is over 45 years old, the virus might stay for another week until he has completely recovered and can play golf again.

The latency of Woods’s recovery can affect his further plans for the 2024 season. If it does take the 15-time major winner 2 weeks to recuperate from the flu, then Woods might miss the next significantly massive event scheduled in March.

Can Tiger Woods play in the Players Championship? 

The Hero World Challenge was where the 82-time PGA Tour winner returned after his hiatus. But before teeing it up at Albany GC, Woods had given a slight hint about his 2024 schedule. At the Hero World Challenge presser, the host of the event said, “I think the best scenario would be maybe a tournament a month.”

Woods then explained that, per the schedule, he would probably “start with maybe at Genesis [Invitational]” in February. Then “something in March near The Players.” He fulfilled his promise of playing at Riviera CC, although he could not play the 72 holes. And moving forward, he would have wanted to play at The Players. Woods is qualified to play at the Players because of his 2019 Masters victory.

The PLAYERS will start on March 14, and by that period, Woods may have fully recovered from influenza. It means that his health would not be between him and the PLAYERS Championship. However, last year, the former world no. 1 didn’t opt to play at the event. He was qualified then too, and was comparably healthy. The chances are 50/50; only time will tell what will be his next golf outing!

Fans have reacted on social media to the reported removal of Tyrrell Hatton from Tiger Woods and Rory McIlroy’s TGL. The English golfer has reportedly joined LIV Golf, financially backed by Saudi Arabia’s Public Investment Fund, in a $63 million deal.

Hatton’s defection will result in a ban from the PGA Tour, and since TGL is exclusive to Tour players, the golfer will not be allowed to participate in the entertainment series.

In a recent post on X (formerly Twitter), golf analyst Daniel Rapaport stated that Hatton had been removed from TGL amidst rumors of him joining LIV Golf.

NUCLR Golf also posted the news on its X account.

“#BOSTON BUMMER — Tyrrell Hatton is OUT of Tiger Woods & Rory McIlroy’s @TGL simulator league, per @Daniel_Rapaport. Players must be PGA Tour members in good standing to compete.@commongolf,” they captioned the post.Fans jumped to the comments section to have their say. One user commented:

“Both leagues are a joke. Guess he could only do one.”

“You mean the thing that doesn’t exist yet?” a fan wrote.

“TGL seems so stupid to me and I’m probably their number 1 demo. Get this frog logo and Boston common name out of here. Who the hell thought either was a good idea?,” another fan chimed in.

Tyrrell Hatton to join Jon Rahm’s Legion XIII – Reports

According to a recent report by The Telegraph, Tyrrell Hatton has joined LIV Golf and will tee off at this week’s Mayakoba event, starting February 2. Hatton has reportedly joined Jon Rahm’s Legion XIII on the Saudi circuit.

The aforementioned report also claimed that Hatton was initially not interested in joining LIV but changed his mind after Rahm called him.

Jon Rahm was also slated to compete in Rory McIlroy and Tiger Woods’s TGL series but withdrew, citing time constraints. Not long after, Rahm announced his move to LIV Golf.

The inaugural season of TGL was supposed to start in January 2024 but was postponed due to a dome collapse at its host venue. The series is likely to kick off in early 2025.

Hatton has not yet confirmed his move to LIV but will likely make an announcement on Friday, February 2, ahead of the commencement of the Mayakoba event.

In addition to Hatton, Adrian Meronk, Anthony Kim, and Lucas Herbert are also said to be joining LIV Golf. Herbert has reportedly joined Ripper GC, and Meronk is rumored to be vying for Martin Kaymer’s Cleek GC.

BUNCOMBE COUNTY, N.C. (WLOS) — Seventeen years ago it was Western North Carolina’s biggest golf story. Buncombe County would be home to the first Tiger Woods-designed golf course in America. But when the real estate market tanked and the venture was hit with other problems, the project failed.

In 2017, the property went up for auction after not selling for $20 million, but it also didn’t sell at auction. Broker Billy May, with Keller Williams, said South Carolina investors bought the 840 acres for $15.5 million in 2019.

Now, 550 acres are up for sale and the focus is on finding deep-pocketed buyers who’d be motivated by the idea of tax breaks from having large tracts placed in conservancies.

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“Either a family compound or a collection of families coming together to build very private houses,” said Collin O’Berry, co-listing agent with May. “We’re counting on somebody liking the location and wanting the privacy.”

“This tract of land is a large contiguous tract in the Swannanoa River mountains,” said Michelle Pugliese, land protection director for the nonprofit Southern Appalachian Highlands Conservancy. “Southern Appalachians Highlands is aware of it, because we have done strategic planning and we know of large tracts that are out there. We would love to purchase and own it as a nature preserve and not see any subdivision on that tract of land if possible.”

FORMER TIGER WOODS GOLF COURSE SITE ON AUCTION BLOCK

But O’Berry and May don’t have any interest in that at this point since it would mean the property would sell for significantly less than the $19 million for which it’s listed.

“There’s direct prospecting to high net worth individuals and other brokers across the country who represent high net worth individuals,” O’Berry said.

The property has been on the market 20 days.

The “disrespecting“ allegations that the Scottish locals had put did not stop Tiger Woods! The golfer and his business partner, Justin Timberlake are taking one step toward the proposed plan for the New Picture House. The cinema is a heritage site for St. Andrew’s locals and when the idea of converting the cinema to a sports gastropub was put forth, thousands of locals signed a petition against it.

That petition has reached more than 11,000 signatures as of now. However, despite the backlash, Woods and Timberlake’s T-Squared Social may see the light in the future, as the plans for the project are being directed toward it.

Tiger Woods’s venture got a green signal in St. Andrew

St Andrews’s locals were enraged at the 15x major champion’s plan to take a part of their noble history.  When the news broke out about the proposed plan, the locals found the plan of the renovation a “disservice to our rich heritage.”  Despite the petition by locals, the managing director of the cinema, David Morris, was in favor of the new pub, and by the looks of it, the plans are coming through!

As per reports by Scotsman, the cinema is working at “10% capacity” and will be closing soon. The statement released by Orbit Communications on behalf of Nexus Luxury Collection, of which Woods and Justin Timberlake are shareholders, reads that the cinema is “no longer viable. Without a serious and timely intervention, a cinematic offering will be lost to the town.”

The T-Squared Social is said to be a ray of hope for the dying legacy of the cinema. The statement also assured that the project team is “currently working towards the delivery of a planning application.” But in the meantime, it will inform the community about all the details. Despite the rebellion faced by the locals, Woods’s plan for St. Andrews would still become a reality.

The recent stance of the managing organization of the New House Cinema had enraged the local community more. The online petition is gaining traction and people are finding it a threat to the locals and “deeply alarming.” However, Woods’s idea was motivated by his love for St. Andrews and was not meant to hurt the locals.

Tiger Woods shares the origin story of a sports pub in St. Andrews

Tiger Woods revealed over a round of golf at Albany, Bahamas that he and Justin Timberlake decided that they wanted to bring their favorite things together in St. Andrews. Woods last played at St. Andrews in 2022 and reflected that it would be his last major there. Woods might have expected that he would never return to the place but as the plan of T-Squared Social, his name still be echoed in the town. Talking about his rationale behind the pub idea, he said, “I have been fortunate enough to enjoy many special moments here at St. Andrews.”

The 15x major champ wanted to build something that would “add to the local community and be a welcoming place for those living there and for visitors.” Despite the rebellion shown by the locals, Woods had the best at heart. The gastro pub would complete the full planning around this year. The local may board the plan till then.

The double loss at the Ryder Cup and the Solheim Cup in 2023 left the American golf fans heartbroken. For the Ryder Cup, many people blamed it was the captaincy that played an integral role in the team’s defeat. With the target to redeem in the upcoming editions of these events, Team America seems to be in dire need of a new skipper. With Tiger Woods back on the golf scene, who could be the better man to do it, right?

The golf world suggested that the 48-year-old should take over the leadership of the 2025 Ryder Cup and hopefully lead the USA to victory in 2025. But what makes the 15x major champion a popular choice for the team captain? Lucas Glover, his 2009 President’s Cup compatriot, recently spilled the beans on why the 15-time Major winner is a good fit for the role.

Tiger Woods’s attitude makes him a suitable candidate for captaincy at Bethpage

A good leader’s direction goes a long way in influencing the result of a game. Tiger Woods is a strong pick not just because of his embellished track record but also for his gleaming confidence.

Siding with all those favoring Woods taking charge of America’s golf pride, the 2009 U.S. Open winner cited his confidence and go-getter attitude as reasons why he should be holding the position of power. But why does Glover think the 48-year-old is a good fit? Well, the answer lies in the insight-filled pages of history.

Remembering a conversation between Tiger Woods and Steve Stricker back in 2009, Lucas Glover said, “I just remember [Tiger Woods] and Steve Stricker talking about being foursome partners. They were discussing who would tee off, what holes, and all that. Tiger simply said, «Strick, I don’t care. Just hit it in the fairway for me, and we’ll win». Confidence from arguably the greatest iron player ever.”

Surely, the confidence as well as the prowess that Woods carries makes him one of the strongest options there is, and the current world no. 31 agrees. But would Glover himself want to be a part of Woods’s team?

What are Glover’s intentions for the 2025 Ryder Cup?

After giving a much-needed insider’s scoop on the idea of Woods heading Team USA, Glover was also asked whether he would play for his team if given a chance. Interestingly, his answer won many hearts.

On the topic of whether he would want to play for his country in Bethpage for the upcoming Ryder Cup, Glover said, “Of course, I’d love to play in 2025 at Bethpage, if possible. If not, I’d like to be there in some capacity, representing our country.”

His determination and readiness to help his homeland are truly inspiring. What do you think about the prospect of Tiger Woods becoming the captain in the upcoming Ryder Cup edition?

After Tiger Woods parted ways with Nike earlier this year, it is quite normal to assume that he will feature a new apparel brand in the next tournament he plays in. On Friday, some golf-related Twitter handles predicted what Woods’ new line of clothing might look like.

The accounts further speculated that Woods’ equipment partner, TaylorMade, will launch a brand called Sunday Red, which will sponsor the golf legend’s clothing line. But still, there’s no news from TaylorMade regarding whether they’ll launch their brand or go for a collaboration.

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Something that’s striking to notice is that the brand’s name carries the color code ‘red’ and red is Woods color! But why does he love the color?

Why Tiger Woods Loves Wearing Red

Tiger Woods was mostly seen wearing red on Sundays. This has been his staple color in his pro days and during Stanford. Moreover, he believes it’s a powerful color that impacts the audience. According to science, the color has the maximum wavelength and hence, it makes somebody more noticeable.

Woods discussed in a past interview that even his mother insisted that he wear red on the final days of tournaments. Even he believed this superstition for a long time.

“I just stuck with it out of superstition, and it worked. I just happened to choose a school that actually was red, and we wore red on our final day of events. So it worked out.”

Added to that, people in his native place also wear red on Sundays, so probably it is their lucky color.

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For 27 years, Woods wore Nike’s red polos on Sunday before announcing his departure. Woods’ message towards Nike on Instagram carried an indication. He mentioned “another chapter” and that too in Los Angeles, where the Genesis Invitational takes place every year.

What beholds for Tiger Woods’ future regarding his new partnership is still unknown, but one can be sure that it will be a legendary one as anything that Tiger touches, turns to gold!