Nineteen of the 20 teams are confirmed for the PNC Championship later this month, with one spot yet to be filled; Tiger Woods hasn't competed since playing alongside son, Charlie, in last year's event in Orlando
Friday 3 December 2021 21:40, UK
Tiger Woods has already admitted he will 'never' play full-time golf again on the PGA Tour, but could the 15-time major champion make a return to action later this month?
Woods hasn't teed it up in an event since partnering his son, Charlie, at the PNC Championship last December, with the former world No 1 unable to compete since suffering extensive injuries to his leg and ankle when involved in a high-profile car accident in February.
The 45-year-old admitted that amputation of the leg 'was on the table' during his three weeks in hospital after the crash, although Woods was able to keep his limb and is now - after months of rehabilitation at home - able to walk unaided and swing a golf club again.
Woods sent social media into a frenzy ahead of the Hero World Challenge by posting a three-second clip of him swatting wedges on the range, and a further video which showed him hitting hybrids ahead of the event which he hosts fuelled further speculation about his potential return to golf.
Although the 82-time PGA Tour winner was unable to put a time frame on a PGA Tour comeback date during his pre-tournament media duties in the Bahamas, Woods did hint at the possibility of competing in a less serious event.
"As far as playing at the [PGA] Tour level, I don't know when that's going to happen," Woods said. "Now, I'll play a round here or there, a little hit and giggle, I can do something like that."
One assignment that may fit Woods' criteria is a return to the PNC Championship, taking place at Ritz-Carlton Grande Lakes in Orlando from December 18-19, a year on from teaming up with his son to claim a seventh-placed finish on debut in the 36-hole event.
Woods would be able to use a golf cart during the two-day competition, should he wish to, while the better-ball format would allow him to utilise his son's tee shots and put less pressure on his own game.
Tournament organisers have already announced 19 of the 20 teams set to feature in this year's contest, only open to major winners and a family member, with the final spot reportedly being left open in the hope that Team Woods will be able to take part.
Justin Thomas, Sir Nick Faldo and Ryder Cup captain Padraig Harrington are among the names already in the field, while Notah Begay III - Woods' former college teammate and a four-time PGA Tour winner - admitted it would be no surprise to see Tiger back in the field later this month.
"He can drive up basically to the golf ball and almost onto the green, so the walking might not be as much of a stress on the leg," Begay told Golf Channel.
"I covered them for the majority of that event last year, and Charlie was hitting most of the drives because of where his tees are at. He [Charlie] is such a good ball-striker that they were taking advantage of his drives because they were much farther than where Tiger's balls were off the tee.
"Those are two critical things that I think might factor into him possibly showing up in a couple of weeks with Charlie. I know the world would love to see it."
Woods' career has been plagued by injury and his latest setback understandably raised doubts about his future in the sport, although the golfing world has learnt never to write off any potential comeback from their marquee player.
Could the latest return happen sooner than we could have possibly hoped for? With Woods, you can't rule it out...
Will Tiger Woods return to action at the PNC Championship? Watch live from December 18-19 on Sky Sports Golf!
